Former India cricketer Aakash Chopra has questioned the Indian management's selection decisions following Anshul Kamboj's addition to the squad for the fourth Test of the ongoing series against England. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) added Kamboj to the squad after Nitish Kumar Reddy was ruled out for the remainder of the series, while Arshdeep Singh was ruled out for the fourth match.
There are more troubles for India with Akash Deep also having a groin niggle and having doubts about playing in the fourth Test. If both Akash and Nitish don't play the Manchester Test, the visitors will need to ring in at least two forced changes, and they have added the Haryana fast-bowling all-rounder to the squad.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Aakash criticised the selection decision. "It's very interesting. There was a lot of chatter around Anshul Kamboj, having done well for India A," he said on his YouTube channel.
He highlighted the inconsistent selection pattern. "When an opportunity arose for someone to join the team, the management chose Harshit Rana. Anshul Kamboj was sent back home. And now Kamboj's name is cropping up again, while Rana is not there.
"Then you start to wonder, 'What actually goes on?' How do you decide and determine who to keep and who to let go of? As far as India A performances go, Kamboj's was better. But if you kept Harshit Rana based on continuity (earlier), then you should have kept Rana instead of Kamboj (again).
"But now Rana isn't there, and Kamboj is. So there is no clarity whatsoever. Maybe they might have the clarity, but nobody is telling us anything. This comes as a bit of a... not as a surprise, but it felt like Kamboj was anyway deserving (of a spot). So now he is going to be with the team. The worrying thing is that several pacers have been ruled out," he added.
India are trailing in the series 1-2 after suffering a heartbreaking loss at Lord's despite putting in a valiant effort. They need to win both of the remaining games to win the series.
