‘Future belongs to bowlers who can bat': Aakash Chopra

Former Indian batter and cricket expert, Aakash Chopra came hard at India’s tailenders for not contributing enough in batting. Comparing India's tail with that of other teams, Chopra said that India’s batting is weak due to Indian bowlers’ inability to chip in with runs lower down the order. Chopra reckons that India’s tail doesn’t work in modern-day cricket. 

In a video uploaded on his YouTube channel, Chopra said: 

“India’s tail is a concern. The tails of other teams are so long… they wag on and on… but our tail is so short, it just collapses instantly. When you look at the quality of batting from tailenders - whether it's Siraj, Bumrah, Prasidh, Arshdeep, or Akash Deep - I don’t think there’s going to be any sudden improvement in that area. If there’s no upgrade expected, then honestly, your batting is weak.

“Your tail is a proper tail which doesn’t work in modern-day cricket. Modern-day cricket means you need people to actually be there. In fact in the Lord’s Test match that we won on the final day, it’s because Bumrah and Shami made runs down the order.” 

Chopra further highlighted tailenders’ contribution in the recent India under-19 team’s match against Young Lions Invitational XI. Lauding the contributions of the lower-order batters, Aakash Chopra said that the future will demand bowlers who can bat. 

“Tail is an issue for India but that is not an issue for India Under-19. I think they were 91 for 5… and then there was a long partnership. Everyone down the order contributed — even the number 11 scored a hundred. So there are players there who know how to bat. I think the future will be all about bowlers who can bat. Single-skill players don’t really work in Test cricket anymore. You’ll have to pick players who are primarily bowlers, but when needed, they should be able to stick around and contribute - just like the Under-19 boys did."

Indian lower-order’s inability to hang around for long and chip in with runs has once again come under the scanner. India suffered batting collapses in both innings of the first Test against England. India collapsed from 453/5 to 471 all-out, losing their last five wickets for just 18 runs. In their second innings, they were 333/4 at one stage. From a position of strength, India found themselves getting bundled out for just 364. They lost their last six wickets for just 31 runs. 

Head coach Gautam Gambhir also highlighted the issue, saying that India could have scored a first-innings score of close to 600 had they not suffered a lower-order collapse and it might have given them a decent chance of winning the game.