‘You can play him in place of…’ - Aakash Chopra suggests Prince Yadav’s inclusion, calls for improved bowling from Washington Sundar

Former India cricketer Aakash Chopra has suggested a potential change in India’s playing XI for the second ODI against Afghanistan, backing young pacer Prince Yadav to replace Prasidh Krishna. Chopra also stressed the need for Washington Sundar to deliver stronger performances with the ball.

India will take on Afghanistan in the second ODI of the three-match series in Lucknow on June 17. The hosts secured a convincing seven-wicket victory in the opening match and will be aiming to clinch the series with another win.

Speaking ahead of the second ODI, Chopra shared his thoughts on India’s team combination and suggested that the management is unlikely to bring Kuldeep Yadav back into the playing XI.

“It seems like they won’t play Kuldeep. We felt you played Harsh Dubey because it was a 25-over match, but that wasn’t the case because he was told the previous evening that he would be playing. So, there was no plan to play Kuldeep, and it won’t change either because it will be a similar kind of surface in Lucknow,” Chopra said on his YouTube channel.

The former opener further pointed out that Prince Yadav could be considered for a place in the side, especially with Prasidh Krishna having played a significant amount of cricket in recent months.

“There will be help once again for Gurnoor Brar here. You can play Prince Yadav in place of Prasidh Krishna if you wish. You may toy with that idea because Prasidh plays a lot of cricket. He was playing the Test recently and has played the entire IPL. Prince has played on this ground itself for LSG, and he has done well. So maybe you want to try him,” he added.

The former Delhi batter also turned his attention to all-rounder Washington Sundar, urging him to make a greater impact with the ball. He noted that the team views Sundar as a long-term successor to veteran off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin and believes he needs to improve his bowling performances to justify that role.

“I want better bowling from Washington. He bats very well, but the performance hasn’t been that good in bowling. You are going to be Ashwin’s replacement, but to reach there, he needs to bowl a lot better,” he observed.

Prasidh endured a quiet outing in the first ODI, returning figures of 0/35 from his five overs. Sundar also went wicketless, conceding 19 runs in the lone over he bowled during India’s dominant victory.

It remains to be seen whether the Indian team management opts for rotation and gives Prince an opportunity in the second ODI at Lucknow.