Aakash Chopra Wants Ravindra Jadeja To Play Vs NZ: Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra wants the Indian Cricket Team to go into their upcoming match against New Zealand in the ongoing ICC Champions Trophy 2025 without many changes to the squad, which means keeping an off-looking Ravindra Jadeja in the squad.
India has been in fantastic form in CT 2025 so far. After only two matches in Group A, they have made it to the semi-finals. In their opening game, the Men in Blue bowled Bangladesh down for 228 and then chased the target down with 21 balls and six wickets to spare as Shubman Gill scored a fine 100.
Then, in their second match against arch-rivals Pakistan, the host nation was bowled out for 241, a total that India chased down with ease in the 43rd over, once again winning the match by six wickets with Virat Kohli hitting a much-celebrated ton.
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As can be seen by the results of these two matches, Rohit Sharma’s men have had terrific bowling performances. And while the pitches in Dubai, where India is playing all their matches, have bowling-friendly surfaces, the bowling performances have still been stellar.
However, one Indian bowler who is still to shine in this competition is all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, who, across 16 overs in two matches, has taken just one wicket and has given 77 runs.
With that in mind, many people are calling for Jadeja to be replaced by someone like Washington Sundar in the upcoming final group game against New Zealand as a like-to-like replacement, or even bring in a full bowler like Varun Chakravarthy or Arshdeep Singh.
Aakash Chopra Wants Ravindra Jadeja To Play Vs NZ
However, former Indian batter Aakash Chopra does not agree with that sentiment, suggesting that Jaddu should stay in the squad, as his being in the squad is part of the winning formula with which the Indian Cricket Team has won their last five ODIs in a row. In a video on his YouTube channel, Chopra also suggested that because he is yet to shine in this tournament, Jadeja should be kept in the playing XI, as the next match could be the one for him.
“Then you start wondering whether changes are required. Winning is a habit. So you try to continue doing that for as long as you can. If you have won five consecutive ODIs, carry on. Jaddu hasn’t taken too many wickets thus far in the Champions Trophy. So I will stay with him,” he said.
Aakash Chopra also addressed the reports that pacer Mohammed Shami and captain Rohit Sharma might have suffered slight injuries and will be rested in the India vs New Zealand game, saying,
“Can some changes be made for the New Zealand match? Can the Indian XI look different? Is that a possibility? Times Sports have reported that Rohit (Sharma) might not play, (Mohammed) Shami might not play, (KL) Rahul might open, and (Rishabh) Pant and Arshdeep (Singh) might get a chance to play.”
India will face New Zealand in the final group-stage match of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. With both teams having already qualified for the semis, this match will determine their rival in the knockout round.
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