Former player Aakash Chopra has been talking about Ramandeep Singh from day one of the T20I series between India and South Africa. Despite facing issues in the batting department, captain Suryakuamr Yadav and interim head coach VVS Laxman haven’t gone with Ramandeep so far.
Aakash wants to see the player making his debut in the third game of the series in Centurion on Wednesday, November 13. The four-match series is tied 1-1, with India winning the opening match by 61 runs before the Proteas clinched a three-wicket victory in the second contest.
“India should be playing Ramandeep Singh. Gerald Coetzee batted at the No.9 slot and struck some big blows. If you look at our team, we lost six wickets for 35 runs in the first match and managed 30-35 runs in the last five overs in the second game,” he said.
“Fewer runs are being scored in the death overs as there is no proper batter left in the end. Tailenders can’t do much. You can’t go in with four No.11 batters in T20 format. You have to have a batter who can come good at the No.8 position. I feel Ramandeep can do a decent job for India,” he added.
Chopra further said that Ramandeep should replace Ravi Bishnoi in the Playing XI. He acknowledged that it would be harsh on the young spinners, but the aggressive approach by the batters would not work without depth in the batting order. It will also force skipper Suryakumar Yadav to give more overs to Axar Patel, who has bowled just two overs in two matches.
