NEW DELHI: Former India cricketer Aakash Chopra has urged Team India to prioritise chasing targets in the upcoming 2025 ICC Champions Trophy, citing concerns over their bowling attack.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Chopra emphasised that India’s strength lies in their batting, and they should structure their game plan accordingly.
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“It’s the rule in white-ball cricket that whatever is your strength should be the second thing you should do. If your bowling is good, do that later. If your batting is good, do that later, and this team’s batting is good,” Chopra stated.
India’s squad for the Champions Trophy includes a deep batting lineup extending to No. 8, but their bowling remains a potential weakness, despite the presence of multiple spinners. Chopra pointed out that while India has variety in bowling, the real firepower lies in their batting unit.
“We are saying that we have a lot of variation in bowling and have five spinners as well. However, if we are being honest, we have an issue in bowling. Our strength is our batting,” he added.
Chopra believes the responsibility to win games should rest on the Indian batters, urging them to perform under pressure.
“The pressure to win matches should be on the batters. So definitely India should bat second. If you win the toss, decide to bowl. You ideally do that because dew also comes later at times. If there is any danger of dew, that is always in the second innings,” he explained.
With all of India’s group-stage matches scheduled in Dubai, Chopra dismissed concerns about pitch deterioration affecting second-innings batting.
“So you should have the bat and not the ball in your hand at that time. Whichever way we might see, the answer to that question is India should chase in almost every match. I don’t think there will be a pitch in Dubai where you will need to bat first,” Chopra concluded.
As Team India prepares for their campaign, which begins against Bangladesh on February 20 in Dubai, Chopra’s advice could shape their strategic approach in the tournament.