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Aakash Chopra has noted that virtually all available fast bowlers have been picked for the Duleep Trophy. However, he observed that Umesh Yadav hasn't been given a chance, with Mohammed Shami potentially unavailable due to his injury.
The Duleep Trophy is scheduled to start on September 5. The selectors announced the four squads for the first round of the tournament on Wednesday, August 14.
Reflecting on the squads in a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra pointed out that veterans like Umesh Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal have been ignored and Arshdeep Singh has potentially been picked to prepare him for the away Test series against Australia later this year.
"All fast bowlers available in India have been picked. Of course, Mohammed Shami is not there in these teams. (Ravindra) Jadeja and Axar (Patel) are also playing. Umran Malik - I am very happy for him. Arshdeep (Singh) is playing - I feel they are thinking whether he can be prepared for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy," he said (5:40).
"Since there is no idea about Mohammed Shami's fitness and availability at the moment, all fast bowlers in India barring Umesh Yadav have been tried. I don't see Yuzi (Yuzvendra) Chahal also in this. So it seems like some things are developing in a certain way," the former India opener added.
Umesh failed to impress in seamer-friendly conditions on the first day of last year's World Test Championship final against Australia and hasn't since been picked in the Indian team. Chahal, who is currently playing county cricket, has never played Test cricket and is potentially not in the selectors' scheme of things for the longest format.
"I have heard good things about him from the Lucknow camp" - Aakash Chopra on Morne Morkel's appointment as India's bowling coach
Reflecting on Morne Morkel's appointment as India's bowling coach, Aakash Chopra stated that he has heard positive things about him from the Lucknow Super Giants camp.
"Morne Morkel is becoming this team's bowling coach. He was with Gautam Gambhir in Lucknow (Super Giants) and he liked him. He would have told the BCCI that he wanted him. I have heard good things about him from the Lucknow camp. Personally, based on whatever I have interacted with him, he is a very kind-hearted, soft-spoken kind of person," he said in the same video (7:15).
The reputed commentator reckons the former South African seamer could be an asset in preparing the Indian pacers for the upcoming away Test series in Australia and England.
"Could be actually a good one. So I am looking forward to how Morne Morkel prepares the team as the Indian coach. I think the thoughts are about the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and then the matches in England next year, five Test matches each. So you have started preparing with that point of view," Chopra observed.
Morkel's contract as India's bowling coach will start on September 1. Sairaj Bahutule performed that role in the recently concluded white-ball series against Sri Lanka.
