With India already securing their spot in the Super 4 stage of the Asia Cup 2025, former Indian cricketer and prominent commentator Aakash Chopra has floated a rather provocative idea: why not send an ‘India A’ squad to the tournament as well?
Chopra’s proposition comes as he observes the struggles of other Asian teams. He points out that Afghanistan, often considered the second-best cricket team in Asia behind India, is currently facing significant batting challenges. “Bangladesh is still in contention after defeating Afghanistan, but Afghanistan’s batting seems to be their major hurdle. While their bowling is decent and fielding acceptable, their struggles with the bat are evident,” Chopra noted.
He then drew a bold comparison between India’s cricketing depth and Pakistan’s main squad. According to Chopra, Pakistan’s batting lineup appears weaker than even India’s second-string team. “If you assess Pakistan’s batting against what an India A team could offer, our reserve squad is likely more formidable. Pakistan simply doesn’t possess the same widespread match-winners that we do,” he asserted.
To support his argument, Chopra referenced Australia’s historical approach, where their ‘A’ team competed in a quadrangular series back in 1994, even reaching the final by outperforming England and Zimbabwe. He believes that a similar strategy for India could provide crucial match practice and exposure for emerging players, all while ensuring the main team remains strong and focused.
Chopra went on to suggest a potential power-packed India A squad, featuring talents like Shreyas Iyer, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Rajat Patidar, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Mohammed Siraj, Mohammed Shami, Ravi Bishnoi, and Yuzvendra Chahal. He firmly believes that such an initiative would not only solidify India’s cricketing advantage but also play a vital role in nurturing future match-winners for the national side.
Highlighting India’s current dominance in both batting and bowling within the senior team, Chopra emphasized that providing opportunities to a second-string team would prevent talented players from being overlooked due to limited spots in the primary squad.
Axar Patel of India celebrates with teammates (Photo by Francois Nel/Getty Images)