Chopra Slams Gambhir's 'Radical' Asia Cup Bowling Strategy

Former India cricketer Aakash Chopra has voiced strong disapproval of the Indian team's bowling strategy employed in the Asia Cup 2025 final, a match they won against Pakistan. Chopra specifically criticized head coach Gautam Gambhir's decision to rely on a single specialist pacer, Jasprit Bumrah, and utilize Shivam Dube for three overs. Chopra described this approach as "radical" and questioned the wisdom of Dube bowling in a crucial final, even though Dube's spell was economical.

The controversial selection also saw Arshdeep Singh, a prominent white-ball pacer, being left out. The preference for Harshit Rana was attributed to his batting capabilities down the order, highlighting a trend of selecting players for their all-round skills rather than purely their primary roles. Chopra suggested that Arshdeep should focus on domestic cricket to become 'undroppable'. He also defended Rana against fan criticism, emphasizing that selections are not the player's prerogative.

Chopra further elaborated that while he understood the team's desire for batting depth at number eight, Arshdeep Singh, as a bowler alone, offers more to the team than Harshit Rana can with both bat and ball. The discussion also touched upon Shreyas Iyer's T20I exclusion, which Chopra defended as a tactical decision due to a lack of clear batting positions in the current lineup, despite Iyer's strong IPL form.