Arshdeep missed the first game of the three-match series as he had not fully recovered from an illness. Mavi, who made his debut in that game, returned figures of 4/22 in his four overs to help the Men in Blue register a narrow two-run win.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra opined that Arshdeep should replace Mavi despite the latter’s game-defining performance in the first T20I, saying:
Chopra believes neither Harshal Patel nor Umran Malik should make way for Arshdeep, reasoning:
Although Mavi was not the official Player of the Match in the first T20I in Mumbai, he was India’s most successful bowler. The team management could play Arshdeep in place of Harshal, considering the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) seamer did not have a great game, returning with figures of 2/41 in four overs.
“Umran Malik is a player who is changing the combination” - Aakash Chopra
Chopra added that Umran’s presence and Hardik Pandya’s bowling with the new ball are changing the team dynamics, elaborating:
The cricketer-turned-commentator highlighted that Umran is performing the role spinners are usually expected to do in the middle overs, observing:
Chopra concluded by stating that he wouldn’t be surprised if the Jammu and Kashmir speedster picks up three wickets in Pune. He added that the spinners are unlikely to bowl their full quota of overs if India get to bowl second again.
The Men in Blue are currently leading 1-0 and will hope to wrap up the three-match series on Thursday.
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