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In this special episode of Backstage with Boria, Aakash Chopra sets up everything cricket for the year 2026. He breaks down Shubman Gill missing out on the T20 World Cup, backs Yashasvi Jaiswal over him, assesses India Women’s T20 standing ahead of the WPL, explains how the Kohli-Rohit duo can be the best-case scenario for World Cup 2027, how the U-19 World Cup can be the feeder service for the men’s senior cricket team and much more.
Boria: First real competition for 2026 is the Men’s T20 World Cup. Do you give us a chance? Thoughts on Shubman Gill’s omission? Are you worried about Suryakumar Yadav?
Aakash: This team has what it takes to lift the trophy. The strengths are far too many and weaknesses are not glaring enough to point a finger at. Overall, it is a perfect unit. Having said that, this tournament has also taught us that home advantage isn’t really a significant advantage and no team has gone on to defend their title back-to-back till now, so a lot of things have to come together for India to actually lift the trophy.
Boria: What do you think of the matter of Shubman Gill? Was it a mistake by the selectors to put him into the mix or was it an experiment that is now being corrected?
Aakash: If we talk about continuity and seeking an opener, then Yashasvi Jaiswal deserved that position a lot more because he was a part of 2024 World Cup squad. Taking Shubman Gill wasn’t an experiment. Making him the vice-captain was rather an endorsement that he is our future. This decision was a bit discomforting at that point in time for me, to be honest. Sanju Samson was also doing well, but selectors maybe didn’t want him because of the pattern developing against England.
If you look at the multinational tournaments like the World Cup, you will only find handful of 200-plus scores. In these kind of matches, you might need an anchor and not just smashers. I believe this is where Shubman Gill came to use, but all of a sudden, there is a course correction and that anchor is not needed anymore. I don’t think Shubman wasting too many good opportunities is the reason behind this decision. This looks like a course correction of an ideology and not just the spot, so it is a seismic shift. The changes in the selection committee can also be a reason behind this new decision and their difference in thinking.
Boria: What is your opinion on Shubman Gill’s wish for a 15-day camp prior to every red-ball series?
Aakash: I am with Shubman on this because every format is differently demanding and it’s unfair that a player is jumping from another continent to play an altogether different format within, say, three days. Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli has been excellent multi-format players but to build new players like them, we need to give our new boys the chance to prepare well.
Boria: How are you seeing Suryakumar Yadav going into the World Cup?
Aakash: Kudos to him as the team is doing very well under his captaincy and haven’t lost a series. On a personal level, he must be feeling the pressure as his primary role isn’t that of a leader, it is of a batter. I would really want him to bat at No. 3 in the first few games, at least against weaker opponents. Form is dependent on runs and that would in turn be dependent on the time he gives himself at the crease. Suryakumar has been marginalised after sacrificing his spot at No. 3 to Tilak Varma. My suggestion for him would be to bat at No. 3 against New Zealand in all the five matches.
Boria: How do you look at Gautam Gambhir when comparing red ball cricket and white ball?
Aakash: Five-star rating to him in white-ball cricket as India hasn’t really lost a white-ball series in forever now. In red-ball cricket, the one whitewash against New Zealand was also the start of his tenure, so a benefit of doubt can be given as he must have been finding his feet back then. In recent times, Eden Gardens was a disappointment in terms of the pitch that we asked for and was a bad start of course, so the after-effect was seen in Guwahati where the pressure from Kolkata made them fail. So, hopefully, we play on better pitches now.
Boria: How are you looking at 2026 in terms of red-ball cricket? Would your suggestion be to get the No. 3 position right?
Aakash: Yes, If I were to speak to Gautam Gambhir, I would just say the same. We have the luxury of a lot of all-rounders, but we don’t need that many. In Test cricket, we can stay regimented and we need a proper No. 3. We voted for Sai Sudharsan, but against West Indies, even Karun Nair could have scored runs. For that matter, anyone else could have too. Sai was set for Eden Gardens but he was dropped there, so when he reached Guwahati, he was not the same player. Same thing happened with Nitish Kumar Reddy, so we are not really getting people ready. Hence, getting the No. 3 position sorted and discarding excess all -rounders in Test cricket are things we can work upon.
Boria: Have you seen enough of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma to see 2027 (World Cup) loading for them?
Aakash: If during the 2023 WTC final at The Oval, we would have asked Virat or Rohit that would they retire before the WTC final in 2025, they would have laughed, but in two years, they walked away from Test cricket. So, if they can’t tell, then how can you and I? My wish would be to see quality and experience in our batting which these two guys bring perfectly. The rest is up to them. I believed Virat would last longer in Test cricket than Steve Smith, but Steve is still making hundreds and Virat is retired now.
Boria: Am I right in saying that game, hunger and determination are still there in Virat and Rohit?
Aakash: 100 per cent. Their job is to play cricket. They have said ‘No’ to a couple of formats, so they should be playing all the matches in the remaining format. The determination in form of fitness and runs from both makes it quite visible that they want to play for as long as possible.
Boria: Virat and Rohit have taken the whole matter in their own hands, and nothing much is left for the selectors. Am I right in saying that?
Aksah: Yes, absolutely. It is not 2023 and the chatter is not anymore around whether they (Virat and Rohit) will be there till 2027. We are much nearer to 2027 and the question is not about creating a new team. So, if they continue to perform now and want to play, then that is the best-case scenario for Indian cricket.
Boria: How are you seeing the women’s team going into the WPL, it being T20 format?
Aakash: I am cautiously optimistic because although we have scaled Mount Everest in the 50-over format, we are not the best in T20. WPL has improved our game a lot in the last three years, which we can see in the likes of Deepti Sharma , Richa Ghosh. I think we will compete well this time, but not start as favourites. We will have areas that would not go in our favour, like it not being subcontinental conditions that help our spin or not having an out-and-out pace attack. But I feel women’s cricket has not hit the ceiling yet, and the scope to get better is there a lot. I am bullish about India’s chances and more so about India’s women’s cricket future.
Boria: Are you giving us a chance in the U-19 World Cup?
Aakash: It is a good team and I think we have a good chance. Previously, we were ok with someone playing even two U-19 World Cups but now that is not the scenario. And also the yardstick of U19 World Cup should not be the trophy. It should be to see how many boys are getting ready for the senior men’s team. Like Shubman Gill found his way, and Prithvi Shaw out of the same U-19 team is still searching for the right direction, so I would want U-19 World Cup to be the feeder service to finding more and more capable boys who can go ahead and be part of the senior Indian cricket team in future.
Boria: Very happy that you have agreed to come to our Trailblazers conclave and looking forward to meeting you in person.
Aakash: Really looking forward to it and the special Bengali sweets [laughs].
Boria: Always a pleasure and privilege to have you on the show. Thank you very much for your time.
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