Former India player Aakash Chopra has opined that the Indian team need to look for a win in the second Test against South Africa. He highlighted that the four points for a drawn game might not suffice in their quest to qualify for the World Test Championship (WTC) final. Ad South Africa posted 489 runs in their first innings on Day 2 of the second Test in Guwahati on Sunday, November 23. India ended the day at nine for no loss in their first innings, trailing the visitors by 480 runs. During a discussion on Star Sports, Chopra wondered whether India would be willing to risk losing the game in trying for a win. “Since the entire story is about the WTC, when you are saying that it’s the WTC cycle due to which you make such pitches where you get quick results, and it’s not only our story, but the entire world, in such a scenario, a draw will give you only four points, which is 17 percent of the total points available (from the series),” the former India batter said. Ad Trending “So, whether you get four or zero, what difference does it make in the longer run? You have to look for 50 percent points, and for that, you only have to run fast. You have to take the initiative. The overarching theme tomorrow would be, do India want to put four points at stake to gain 12?” Chopra added. Ad The cricketer-turned-commentator noted that he wants to see intent from Rishabh Pant and company, highlighting that batters can drive the game. “There are 12 points for a win, zero for a loss, and you get only four for a draw. Four points may or may not decide your future. So I just want to see India’s intent. When you are bowling, how the match would progress is not in your hands many times, but when the bat is in your hand, you drive the game,” Chopra observed. Ad Yashasvi Jaiswal (7*) and KL Rahul (2*) were the unbeaten Indian batters at Stumps on Day 2 of the Guwahati Test. The duo adopted a cautious approach in the 6. 1 overs they faced before the close of play, but could bat more aggressively in the morning session of Day 3. “Not too much actually” Aakash Chopra on whether potential bad light would impact India’s approach in IND vs SA 2025 2nd Test In the same discussion, Aakash Chopra replied in the negative when asked whether India need to alter their approach because of the potential loss of play due to bad light in Guwahati. Ad “Not too much actually, because you will try to play well in whatever overs you get. Tomorrow, you won’t think about what would happen the day after. First play the day tomorrow. Assuming you lose only two or three wickets, you will score 325 to 350 runs. Then you start and say that you will take the game in your favor in the next two sessions,” he said. India bowled only 81. 5 overs on Day 1 of the Guwahati Test before bad light stopped play. Only 75. 3 overs were bowled on Day 2, including the 6. 1 overs faced by the hosts. × Feedback Why did you not like this content? Clickbait / Misleading Factually Incorrect Hateful or Abusive Baseless Opinion Too Many Ads Other Was this article helpful? Thank You for feedback Follow IPL Auction 2025 Live Updates, News & Biddings at Sportskeeda. Get the fastest updates on Mega-Auction and cricket news Edited by Kartik Iyer.
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“Skip the IPL” – Former India opener makes massive Gautam Gambhir claim over workload management ahead of IND vs SA 2025 2nd Test
Former opening batter Aakash Chopra revealed that Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir views skipping the Indian Premier League (IPL) season as a means of managing Shubman Gill’s intense workload across formats. The multi-format skipper is nursing a neck injury that he sustained during the first Test against South Africa, which has raised alarms over the need to manage his schedule. Shubman Gill has more or less played non-stop cricket in 2025, right from the home ODI series against England. The dynamic drastically changed a few months later as he was handed captaincy roles in Tests and ODIs, along with a vice-captaincy role in the T20I side, making him a bona fide presence in the playing XI in all three formats. Apart from his colossal responsibilities with the national team, Gill is also tasked with the role of Gujarat Titans’ (GT) captain in the Indian Premier League (IPL). He has held the post since Hardik Pandya’s departure ahead of the 2024 season. Non-stop cricket for two months on top of the extensive demands of the international calendar could impact his long-term future. Chopra revealed how Gautam Gambhir feels that leading an IPL side on top of responsibilities for Team India can be too taxing. “I asked this question to Gautam before the Test match against the West Indies. His point was that if you need workload management, then skip the IPL. If you don’t want to lead because leading the IPL team puts too much pressure, then don’t lead. And while playing for India, if you are fit, you are not mentally fatigued,” Chopra told Hindustan Times. The former opener stressed the notion of batters wishing to make the most of their purple patch, which Gill had been relishing for the major part of the year. “And as a batter, I can also second the opinion that when you are going through a good form, you really want to maximise. Because you never know when the bad form hits you and where the next one is going to come from,” Chopra added. Shubman Gill had a prolific 2025 Champions Trophy campaign, the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) season, and a landmark 2025 Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy in England. However, he has struggled for runs since his comeback into the T20I side during the 2025 Asia Cup. While he scored another ton in the home series against the West Indies, he endured a tough white-ball tour of Australia. “Shubman has taken up this challenge and is up for it” Team India assistant coach on Gill’s workload ahead of IND vs SA 2025 Tests The team management have backed Shubman Gill to thrive across formats, both as a leader and captain. A central figure amid a major transition period, there is a lot of expectation on the ace player, irrespective of the format. “It’s super challenging to play all the formats. That’s why you see lesser and lesser players playing all formats. Shubman has taken up this challenge and is up for it. Shubman Gill is currently doubtful for the second Test against South Africa, scheduled to begin on Saturday, November 22 at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati.
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“He made a tweet that evening, where he posted my stats” – Aakash Chopra reveals how former CSK star trolled him during IND vs ENG 2016 series
Former India opener Aakash Chopra recently opened up on being trolled by England’s spin-bowling all-rounder Moeen Ali. He revealed that the incident took place during England’s final Test of the five-match series against India in 2016. Ad Chopra stated that ahead of the match, he spoke about Moeen’s short-ball woes during a show. He mentioned that the southpaw ended up hitting a century the next day. The cricketer-turned-commentator noted that, unhappy with his remarks, Moeen posted Chopra’s statistics on social media. Sharing the story, the 48-year-old said on journalist Shubhankar Mishra’s YouTube channel: “A fellow cricketer trolled me. If the fans are trolling you, you get used to it. It happened when I was working for Cricinfo, and while doing some analysis, I said something about Moeen Ali’s problems against the short ball. I felt that the short ball should be used against him because he doesn’t have the defensive game for it, and you can create a trap by putting two fielders back. So, we made a demo showing why he can’t play the short ball. It was during the Chennai Test, and he scored a hundred in that game. Ad Trending “So, he made a tweet that evening, where he posted my stats. He was obviously upset. As he was a fellow cricketer, I replied to him that at least you don’t have a problem with my analysis. You have a problem with my stats, I agree, but you didn’t find a fault in my analysis because that’s my job now.” Ad Chopra pointed out that Moeen lost his wicket to a short-pitched delivery on the next day and ended up apologizing to him for the tweet. He added: “Interestingly, the next morning, Ishant Sharma was bowling, and India placed three fielders in the deep. Bouncers were bowled right from the start. He hit a four and then got out right there. I felt validated, but of course, I didn’t go to Moeen and say, see, my analysis was right. However, he apologised afterwards,” he added. Ad Moeen scored 146 runs off 262 balls in England’s first innings. However, his knock was overshadowed by Karun Nair’s unbeaten 303 off 381, which was instrumental in India’s 75-run win. “I fell short and couldn’t do justice to that moment” Aakash Chopra on doing commentary during Sri Lankan legend farewell Test Aakash Chopra also spoke about a cricketing moment where he felt his commentary was not up to the mark. He admitted that he was underprepared during Kumar Sangakkara’s farewell Test and ultimately failed to meet the expectations. Ad He said during the same interview: “I was just starting out in 2015, and I was not prepared. It was Kumar Sangakkara’s farewell match. It was at the P Sara Oval in Colombo, and it was my first time doing bilingual commentary. When he got out, my co-commentator placed his mike upside down and asked me to take over. Now, Aakash can only take over when he is prepared for that. I fell short and couldn’t do justice to that moment.” Sangakkara retired from Test cricket in August 2015. He registered scores of 32 and 18 in his farewell match. × Feedback Why did you not like this content? Clickbait / Misleading Factually Incorrect Hateful or Abusive Baseless Opinion Too Many Ads Other Was this article helpful? Thank You for feedback Get real-time updates on IPL 2025, live scores, IPL Prediction, match schedule, points table, Result & squad -CSK, MI, RCB, KKR, SRH, LSG, DC, GT, PBKS Edited by Aditya Suketu Desai.
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“We are making ODI-type selection” – Former opener’s blunt remark on India’s playing XI for IND vs SA 2025 1st Test
Former opener Aakash Chopra has criticized the Indian team management for their playing XI selection in the first Test against South Africa at Eden Gardens, Kolkata. Chopra questioned the rationale behind including six bowlers in the squad, three of whom are spin bowling all-rounders, suggesting that the lineup resembled more of an ODI or T20I team rather than a traditional Test side.
India dominated the opening day of the match on Friday, November 14. After losing the toss and being asked to bowl first, the hosts dismissed South Africa for 159 runs in 55 overs. India then ended the day at 37 for 1 after 20 overs.
Despite India’s strong performance in the field, Chopra was unconvinced by the decision to drop Sai Sudharsan in favor of playing six bowlers. Speaking on his YouTube channel, he said, “There was a time when teams used to play with four bowlers and, once in a while, you used to play five. Then Kohli came in and said, I will play five. He created that template. But the new dispensation wants six bowlers. Now, we have taken Test cricket to that space where we are making ODI-type selection and T20-type selection. Let’s take a chance at No. 3 as well.”
Highlighting the bowling efforts on Day 1, Jasprit Bumrah stood out with a sensational performance, claiming 5 wickets for 27 runs from 14 overs. Mohammed Siraj and Kuldeep Yadav contributed with two wickets each. When India batted, Washington Sundar was promoted to the No. 3 spot.
However, Chopra raised concerns over Sundar’s bowling workload during South Africa’s innings. “Sundar bowled only one over,” he pointed out, emphasizing the impracticality of the six-bowler policy. “When this match ends, we will say that at least two bowlers have been under-bowled. In the first innings, Washington Sundar bowled only one over. What are we doing? In the first session, we bowled 27 overs and used six bowlers. We don’t do this even in one-dayers using six bowlers to send down 27 overs.”
In the first innings, while Sundar was limited to just a single over, other spin options like Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel bowled eight and six overs respectively. Jasprit Bumrah and Kuldeep Yadav both delivered 14 overs, and Mohammed Siraj bowled 12.
Chopra’s critique highlights a growing debate around India’s team selection strategy in Test cricket and whether the inclusion of multiple all-rounders is truly beneficial in the longer format.
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