NEW DELHI: Former Indian opener Aakash Chopra has provided insights into the selectors' decision to include Sanju Samson and Jitesh Sharma instead of Ishan Kishan in the 16-member squad for the upcoming three-match T20I series against Afghanistan.
Chopra, in his analysis on his YouTube channel, highlighted that the absence of a clear explanation for Ishan Kishan's exclusion has led to speculation. He suggested that the selectors might have preferred Samson and Sharma due to their ability to bat in the middle-order.
"Jitesh Sharma and Sanju Samson are the two wicketkeepers, although Samson wasn't kept as a keeper in the last two series. Ishan Kishan was going as a keeper but he is not there now. Nobody knows why Ishan Kishan isn't there, that's a different story," Aakash stated.
Chopra pointed out that the opening slots are already filled, leaving limited options for a keeper who can bat down the order. With Virat Kohli occupying the No. 3 position and not playing at No. 4, the selectors may have opted for keepers who can fit into the middle-order.
"You have suddenly filled up the opening slot. Virat Kohli plays at No. 3, he doesn't play at No. 4. So the keeper has to bat down the order. You have only two keeping options who can bat down the order, one is Jitesh Sharma and the other is Sanju Samson," Chopra explained.
Ishan Kishan, who opted out of the recently concluded Test series against South Africa, was not included in the T20I squad, raising questions and prompting speculation about the reasons behind his exclusion.
(With inputs from ANI)
