‘We got a learning from BGT': Aakash Chopra warns India against all-rounder obsession in England Test series

Shubman Gill's new-look India Test side has received a word of caution from former opener Aakash Chopra, stressing that they should not walk down the wrong path and learn from the mistakes made during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy at the end of the 2024-25 season. India's reliance on three seamers and a fourth pace option in all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy did not bring the necessary result Down Under, as the hosts secured the World Test Championship final berth with a 3-1 series victory.
With a new World Test Championship cycle kicking off for India at the start of the five-match England series, Gill and Co. will confront a similar challenge in the absence of senior pacer Mohammed Shami and seam spearhead Jasprit Bumrah expected to not feature in more than three matches after his injury setback following the last Australia tour.
Chopra said that India's wavering balance between the batting and bowling departments could mean that they may lean in on 'bits and pieces' players that may disrupt the general combination.
'We got a learning from the Border-Gavaskar Trophy that if you get a little obsessed about the batting and play batters who can bowl and choose bowlers who can bat, then you are just going down the wrong path,' Chopra said on his YouTube channel.
Chopra said that India will need to play at least four seam options, with Nitish Reddy coming in as the potential fifth seamer and spin all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja playing as the sole tweaker.
'So I am thinking you should have a minimum of three proper fast bowlers. The fourth fast bowler could be Shardul Thakur for sure, if you wish, and then you can have Nitish Kumar Reddy as the fifth bowler and Ravindra Jadeja as the sixth bowler. So you have plenty of bowling options, but the batting is not compromised,' Chopra said.
Chopra also said there might be the temptation for India to firm up their batting stocks by placing Karun Nair at number six, making it a toss-up between Shardul and Nitish for the fourth-seam option.
'Otherwise, you can go the route of keeping Karun Nair at No. 6, Ravindra Jadeja at No. 7, and then go with four fast bowlers. That could be another thought process where Shardul Thakur won't be among the four fast bowlers, and you go with four proper fast bowlers,' he added.
'It will be worth watching how this era proceeds in Shubman Gill's captaincy, because when you have even slightly less experience in batting, you are tempted to play an additional batter since enough runs aren't being scored. The Headingley match will decide what our thought process will be,' Chopra observed.
India's last series win in England came 18 years ago when a Rahul Dravid-led unit pipped the hosts 1-0 in the inaugural Pataudi Trophy, now replaced by the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy this year.

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