Aakash Chopra criticises Hardik Pandya after India’s defeat by the West Indies, saying, “If Yuzvendra Chahal didn’t bowl four overs, you missed a trick.”

Aakash Chopra, a former opener for India, has questioned how Hardik Pandya used the bowling staff during the first T20I against the West Indies, which India lost by just four runs. Four frontline bowlers and two all-rounders, including the captain Hardik Pandya and Axar Patel, were in the Indian team. The series is seen as the start of the road leading to the T20 World Cup, which will be co-hosted by the USA and the West Indies in 2024.

India was able to contain West Indies to just 149 runs in spite of their great start during the powerplay. During the powerplay, when Yuzvendra Chahal took two wickets in the same over, Chopra expressed his opinion that the visitors squandered an opportunity by not being more aggressive.

“India’s ball control wasn’t very strong to begin. Then Yuzvendra Chahal entered the fray, taking two wickets in one over. After that, he came to a stop.

You missed a trick, in my opinion, if Yuzi Chahal didn’t bowl four overs in the match from yesterday despite getting two wickets in his first over, Aakash Chopra stated on his YouTube channel.

Surprisingly, Chahal, who made the vital substitution by ejecting the starters

The next over was not bowled until the thirteenth over by Kyle Mayers and Brandon King during the powerplay. After three overs of bowling, Chahal’s final statistics were 2 for 24.

“You holding back his final three overs left me feeling a little let down. Nicholas Pooran could have been taken out because he bowls so well against left-handed hitters, but you decided not to utilise him. Later, the choice to give him additional overs was a little unexpected,” Chopra remarked. Having too many choices can occasionally be both a pain and a blessing. Kuldeep Yadav bowled his entire allotted number of overs, whereas Axar Patel just bowled two.

After the first T20I, emphasis centred on India’s batting woes as their inexperienced team struggled under pressure. Despite Tilak Varma’s encouraging debut, which saw him score the game’s highest total of 39 runs off 22 balls, India’s squad was only able to reach the mark thanks to frequent wickets from West Indies bowlers, particularly Romario Shepherd and Jason Holder.