Aakash Chopra names predicted XI for IND vs NZ Test in Kanpur

Former India cricketer Aakash Chopra has named his predicted India XI for the first Test against New Zealand. The match is set to get underway on November 25 in Kanpur. The likes of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli won't be part of the match. KL Rahul too will miss the game as he has been ruled out of the series after sustaining a thigh injury. Meanwhile, Suryakumar Yadav has been added to the squad in place of Rahul.  Chopra said India need to play an extra batter to strengthen their batting.

“The biggest question is six or five batsmen. You can think about playing six batsmen because Kohli, Rohit, Pant and Rahul are not there – all your main batting is gone. So, you might want to go with an extra batsman. I will say resist the temptation, it’s okay,” Chopra said on his YouTube channel.

Chopra selected Mayank Agarwal and Shubman Gill as his openers. This was an obvious choice as India don't have a backup opener in the team. Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane were the next two batters, which is also not a surprise. The cricket expert selected Shreyas Iyer ahead of Suryakumar Yadav.

“Mayank Agarwal, Shubman Gill, Pujara at three, Rahane at four, Iyer at five. These will be your five batsmen. After that, play Jadeja at six. Jadeja can bat at six. Whichever keeper plays, it should be Saha in my opinion, keep him at seven,” he stated.

Wridhhiman Saha is his wicketkeeper for the match, while Ravi Ashwin, Axar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja are the three spinners he has opted for.

“At eight, you keep Ravichandran Ashwin and Axar at nine. Axar can also bat. So, you have a lot of batting. I think don’t compromise on the fact that you will need five full bowlers,” Chopra said.

Mohammed Siraj and Umesh Yadav will be the only fast bowlers. “My two fast bowlers will be Umesh Yadav and Mohammed Siraj because they will get the ball to reverse swing better than Ishant Sharma,” Chopra added.

Aakash Chopra’s XI

Mayank Agarwal, Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Shreyas Iyer, Ravindra Jadeja, Wriddhiman Saha, Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Siraj