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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“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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