IND vs AUS 1st ODI: Aakash Chopra drops Kuldeep Yadav from India XI, backs Axar–Washington spin duo

Saurav Goyal

•
IND vs AUS 1st ODI: Aakash Chopra drops Kuldeep Yadav from India XI, backs Axar–Washington spin duo image

As India prepares to face Australia in the opening ODI at Perth on October 19, former cricketer Aakash Chopra has shared his predicted playing XI.

The former opener decided to leave out star spinner Kuldeep Yadav and instead opted for the all-round spin pair of Axar Patel and Washington Sundar.

Add The Sporting News as a preferred news source

With Shubman Gill leading the side and stars like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli returning after the Champions Trophy triumph, Chopra’s team selection has sparked plenty of discussion among fans. 

Aakash Chopra dropped Kuldeep Yadav for the first ODI

Chopra, in his team prediction shared on Star Sports’ Instagram, went with a slightly unconventional choice by excluding Kuldeep.

The decision raised eyebrows, especially since Kuldeep recently won Player of the Match in India’s last Test outing against the West Indies.

Chopra reasoned that India might prefer two spin-bowling all-rounders, Axar and Washington, who can contribute with both bat and ball. 

Despite being India’s leading ODI spinner in recent years with 181 wickets from 113 matches, Kuldeep finds himself out of Chopra’s first-choice XI for now. 

MORE: DC show interest in Samson as KKR to pursue move for Rahul

Aakash Chopra’s full India XI for the 1st ODI

Chopra’s predicted India XI includes a strong top order with Rohit and captain Gill opening, followed by Virat Kohli at No. 3.

He placed Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul in the middle order. With Hardik Pandya missing due to injury, youngster Nitish Kumar Reddy has been backed at No. 6 to fill the all-rounder’s slot.

Chopra then added Axar and Sundar as dual spin options, followed by a three-pacer setup- Harshit Rana, Mohammed Siraj and Arshdeep Singh.

Aakash Chopra’s India XI for the 1st ODI:

Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill (C), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer (VC), KL Rahul (WK), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh.

RELATED LINKS:

Saurav Goyal

Saurav Goyal is a Content Producer at the Sporting News with over two years of experience in covering cricket. An avid cricket fan for more than two decades, his passion for the game led him to writing. Since then, he’s been delivering the latest news and engaging content to keep cricket fans informed and entertained.