the former India Opener Aakash Chopra has picked many big stars in his Test XI of 2021 Virat Kohli And Steve Smith failed to make the cut. The year 2021 saw some historic Test matches for New Zealand from India’s historic Test win at the Gabba World Test championship win. The XI picked by Chopra was dominated by Indian stars as New Zealand talisman Kane Williamson was named captain.
The former cricketer-turned-commentator picked India’s flamboyant opener Rohit Sharma as his first choice after his consistent performances in red-ball cricket this year. Rohit scored his first overseas Test century against England this year and is currently the highest-ranked Indian batsman in the longest format – 5th.
“The first name that comes to my mind is Rohit Sharma. It was a huge year for him, it was the year he fell in love with the longest format. He played amazing knocks, be it a century in Chennai and consistent performances in England,” Chopra said while choosing his Test XI on his YouTube channel.
The former India batsman picked Sri Lanka’s Dimuth Karunaratne as the opening partner for Rohit. Whereas in Tests 2021’s leading run-getter – Joe Root was named his undisputed number. 3.
“My other opener is Dimuth Karunaratne of Sri Lanka. He has also scored runs which includes a double century. He was playing well against West Indies as well. He may not be pleasing to the eye but he scores runs.
“There was no match at number 3. Joe Root is part of this team. He is the best Test batsman of 2021, miles above the rest. He is in a completely different league. He performed amazingly, whether it was a double century in India or in Sri Lanka,” said Chopra.
Read also: Leadership qualities never seen in Joe Root – Brendon McCullum
The former India opener heaped heavy praise on Williamson, naming him the captain of the XI.
“At No. 4, I’ve got Williamson. He scored a double century against Pakistan and led his team to victory in the final. He played a very important innings in the final as well. Kane Williamson is also the captain of this team,” Chopra added.
Fawad Alam has made a big impact since his return to Pakistan this year and Chopra didn’t overlook it while choosing his XI.
“I have Fawad Alam in my team. It’s a story of persistence, whether you choose him or not, he’ll keep playing. He has scored 109 against South Africa, 140 against Zimbabwe and 124 against West Indies.
Read also | Virat Kohli has led the team whenever we step into the park: Rohit Sharma
India’s hero Down Under against Australia – Rishabh Pant was named wicket-keeper by the former Indian opener as he claimed that no one was close to the southpaw.
“The keeper is Rishabh Pant. I was also thinking of Jos Butler but no one was close to him. The kind of performance that Rishabh Pant has given – 101 against England, 89 at the Gabba and also ninety in Sydney. He’s been great.”
In the bowling department, Indian spin duo Ravichandran Ashwin and Axar Patel dominated the spinners’ category, while Kyle Jamieson, James Anderson and Shaheen Afridi were picked as pacers.
“After that, I am picking two Indians. Ravichandran Ashwin – He has taken a lot of wickets. He was brilliant in India against England. He also scored a century against England. He is the No. 1 spinner in Test cricket, no doubt about it.”
Chopra went with James Anderson and Shaheen Afridi as his last two picks. “I have picked two fast bowlers apart from Jamieson. Jimmy Anderson – He took 32 wickets this year. He did well in India, taking five wickets in Sri Lanka and again against India at home.
“Last but not least, I have got Shaheen Afridi. His performance this year has been very good. He was also taking five wickets like Axar. It will also give a left-arm bowler, he is tall, picks up the ball and swings it.”
Aakash Chopra’s Test XI of the year: Rohit Sharma, Dimuth Karunaratne, Joe Root, Kane Williamson (c), Fawad Alam, Rishabh Pant, Kyle Jamieson, Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel, James Anderson, Shaheen Afridi
get all IPL news and cricket score Here
,