FORMER INDIAN OPENER REVEALS 'REAL PROBLEM' IN TEAM INDIA; SUGGEST TWO IMPORTANT CHANGES 

Team India's much awaited and talked about tour of Australia didn’t begin with a smile as they lost two ODIs on the trot in Sydney. 

The recent 51-run defeat exposed the loopholes of Indian bowling attack that has become the talk of the town. Amid fans and cricket experts, who blamed Virat Kohli for the failure in the ODI, former Indian opener Aakash Chopra shared his opinion on the inability of bowlers to pick wickets.

“If we look at the Indian bowling, it’s clear that we are unable to pick wickets with the new ball. How much time has gone? In the last three consecutive ODI matches, India has conceded a 100-run partnership at the top between the two openers,” Chopra said in his latest YouTube video.

“If you don’t take wickets with the new ball, a wicket does not fall in the first 20-odd overs, then whomever you bowl doesn’t make a difference,” he added. 

Further while speaking on Hardik Pandya, who bowled after a year’s gap and cleared off Steve Smith during the match, Chopra said “Although we saw Hardik Pandya bowling but it was too late. He took a wicket as well, he dismissed Steve Smith. But if your top bowlers don’t take wickets, what will the 6th, 7th or 8th option do."

“So, this is a problem which is getting magnified by the lack of an all-rounder but first of all, how many of them do we have? And even if they available, where will you play them? If you don’t take wickets at the top, it is not going to help in the middle, doesn’t matter how many all-rounders you play,” he added.

Currently, Team India seems to be all set for the third and the final ODI against Australia on December 2 in Canberra.  

Meanwhile, ahead of the final game, Aakash Chopra also suggested a couple of changes in the playing XI for Team India. "In the bowling, you can surely play T Natarajan in place of Navdeep Saini and you can try to play Kuldeep Yadav instead of Chahal. That's about it," Chopra said on his YouTube channel.

"If Bumrah and Shami are both fit and do not have any niggle, they are absolutely fine to play, please play them and don't change anything else," he added.