Former India player Aakash Chopra has noted that the Men in Blue’s thinking is not aligned with his thought process. While wondering why Nitish Kumar Reddy wasn’t picked for the first T20I against the West Indies, the analyst praised Naman Dhir for making the most of his opportunity.
Dhir registered figures of 3/31 in four overs as India bowled out the West Indies for 171 in Lucknow on Tuesday, October 6. The hosts then achieved the target with eight wickets and 32 balls to spare to take a 1-0 lead in the five-match series.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, ‘Aakash Chopra,’ the former India opener questioned why Reddy wasn’t played in the series opener.
“The spinners took eight (seven) wickets. Personally, I would put my hand up. I thought Nitish Kumar Reddy should have been played. If you are not going to play Nitish now, when are you going to play him? My thinking and the Indian team’s alignment are not sitting together,” he said.
However, Chopra lauded Dhir for repaying the team management’s faith with an intelligent spell.
“However, there is one thing for sure. This team has great confidence in Naman Dhir. They feel this guy has a huge upside, which is correct. He bats very well, and they are repeatedly making him bowl along with that. Only five bowlers were used, and he picked up three wickets, where he also applied his brain,” the cricketer-turned-commentator observed.
“He got hit for a six and bowled the next ball slightly far and slow. Then he bowled a slightly flat and full ball to Romario Shepherd on his legs and got hit for a six. He got the next ball to drift away with a round arm. That tells you that the guy is thinking and is executing that skill after that. The seam position was good. So, a lot of things were super impressive about Naman Dhir,” he added.
All three of Naman Dhir‘s wickets came after being hit for a six off the previous ball. He dismissed Shai Hope (52 off 37), Romario Shepherd (7 off 5), and Shamar Springer (9 off 7), ensuring the West Indies posted a below-par total.
“Your batting was extremely ordinary” – Aakash Chopra criticizes West Indies after IND vs WI 2026 1st T20I
In the same video, Aakash Chopra praised Kuldeep Yadav (2/33 in four overs) and Axar Patel (2/26 in 3.1 overs) for bowling impressive spells and criticized the West Indies for an ordinary batting performance.
“Kuldeep Yadav picked up two wickets. Axar Patel bowled the sixth over as a maiden and picked up Rovman Powell’s wicket in that. West Indies, you didn’t bat well. This was a pitch on which 200 should have been scored easily. Your batting was extremely ordinary, and you reached 170,” he said.
While pointing out that Shai Hope and Sherfane Rutherford (56 off 34) were the only two West Indies batters to play substantial knocks, the former Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) player noted that Mayank Yadav wasn’t at his best.
“You left a lot on the pitch. Hope scored a fifty and another fifty by Sherfane Rutherford, but what happened in the middle was avoidable. Mayank Yadav was slightly expensive. It felt like he was slightly rusty, as he is returning from injury and hasn’t played a lot of cricket,” Chopra observed.
Apart from Shai Hope and Sherfane Rutherford, only Akeal Hosein (15 off 9) and Kamil Pooran (12 off 11) reached double digits for the West Indies. Mayank Yadav delivered a spell of 1/40 in four overs and seemed overreliant on slower balls.
Edited by Kartik Iyer
