Former India opener Aakash Chopra praised the selectors and team management for giving Gurnoor Brar a chance to make his ODI debut against Afghanistan. Chopra said that the selection of players should not be based only on statistics, if only statistics were considered then statisticians would have become selectors.
Brar made his debut in the first ODI against Afghanistan in Dharamshala. On Saturday, June 13. He impressed with figures of 3/27 in 4.5 overs as Afghanistan were bowled out for 194 in 24.5 overs. In reply, Shubman Gill remained unbeaten on 84 off 66 balls as India won the rain-reduced 25-over encounter.
Gurnoor Brar did not come after playing T20 – Aakash Chopra
Aakash Chopra said in a video on his YouTube channel that many people expected Prince Yadav to debut, especially when the match was reduced to 25 overs. Chopra said India had already decided to play Gurnoor because of his height, high-arm action, ability to generate bounce and pace.
“We all assumed Prince would play, and when the match was reduced to 25 overs, which is very close to the T20 format, and Gurnoor Brar had not yet played T20, we started thinking Prince would definitely play.”
“However, the Indian team had already prepared their plan that they would play Gurnoor because he is tall, has high-arm action, produces good bounce and has pace,” Chopra said.
Before his debut, Gurnoor had played only 10 List A matches, in which he took 15 wickets with best figures of 4/57. He is expected to play again when India face Afghanistan in the second ODI in Lucknow on June 17.
Gurnoor Brar was consistently on the other side of 145 – Aakash Chopra
Aakash Chopra said that India’s decision to select Gurnoor Brar was based on qualities that are not always visible in statistics. He said the left-arm fast bowler consistently bowled above 145 kmph and gave the team the pace and bounce they were looking for.
He said, “He was consistently on the other side of 145 clicks. He has been fast-tracked. Our fans sometimes lose a bit of objectivity. I am going to be objective. You are looking beyond the numbers because if only numbers are needed, you can make a statistician a selector. He wanted pace and bounce, and both those things were seen in his game.”
They are trying to prepare the players – Aakash Chopra on Harsh Dubey ODI debut
Aakash Chopra also praised the selectors for picking Harsh Dubey in the ODI squad against Afghanistan. He said that the team management considers Harsh a better fit for white-ball cricket than Manav Suthar because of his all-round abilities.
He said, “Harsh Dubey has taken a lot of wickets in first-class cricket and has done well in the IPL. They are trying to groom players. Manav Suthar is made for Test cricket. That’s why he has been kept there. Harsh Dubey is a bit of a versatile player. He also bats and fields well.”
“His bowling style is beautiful. Even though Harsh Dubey has great first-class numbers, he goes to the corner of the box, bowls with a light sidearm, undercuts the ball a bit, and varies his pace quite a bit. This is almost ideal for white-ball cricket. So you have to pick Harsh Dubey first in white-ball cricket and leave out Manav Suthar, and that’s why you have a selection committee,” Chopra said.
Harsh rewarded the trust of the selectors in the first ODI against Afghanistan. After conceding 16 runs in his opening over, he bounced back with figures of 3/47 from five overs, dismissing Hashmatullah Shahidi, Azmatullah Umarzai and Allah Ghazanfar.
