"You see a new captain in every series" - Aakash Chopra on Shreyas Iyer's appointment as skipper for IND-A vs AUS-A series

Former India player Aakash Chopra has noted that Shreyas Iyer's appointment as skipper implies that India A have had different captains in three consecutive series. While Ruturaj Gaikwad was India A's captain for their away series against Australia A last year, Abhimanyu Easwaran led the side in their away series against the England Lions earlier this year.

India A will face Australia A in two multi-day matches, with the first game scheduled to start in Lucknow on September 16. The selectors picked the India A squad on Saturday (September 6), with Shreyas as the captain and Dhruv Jurel as his deputy.

Reflecting on the team in a video shared on his YouTube channel 'Aakash Chopra,' the former India opener wondered why Shreyas replaced Easwaran as the India A captain.

"Different captains have been made in three consecutive series. What is happening? Shreyas Iyer is the captain and Dhruv Jurel is the vice-captain. However, I am thinking that Abhimanyu Easwaran used to be the captain, but his name has disappeared from there. He is a member of the team for sure, but his name is not there in the list of captain and vice-captain," Chopra said.

"Shreyas Iyer has come, and if you see the last few series, you see a new captain in every series. So the India A captaincy has become a case of musical chairs. Why has Shreyas Iyer been elevated? It's because the No. 3 and No. 6 spots are still vacant. Sai Sudharsan's name is there for sure. So he is also a part of this team. Abhimanyu Easwaran's name is also there, and he is also a part of this team," he added.

Aakash Chopra opined that the game of musical chairs is not ideal. However, he noted that he won't read too much into it as the India A captaincy is not seen as a stepping stone to becoming India's captain, and whoever is considered the right fit at the time is appointed the skipper.

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"You will suddenly find Shreyas Iyer playing in two of the three formats" - Aakash Chopra on batter being made India A skipper

Shreyas Iyer is an integral member of India's ODI side. [P/C: Getty]

In the same video, Aakash Chopra opined that Shreyas Iyer's appointment as India A skipper implies that he is likely to be a part of India's Test side.

"There was a lot of backlash when Shreyas wasn't selected for the Asia Cup, and now he finds himself at the helm of the India A team. There is no doubt that Shreyas is a certainty in ODIs. Now you will have the West Indies and South Africa touring India. So these two series at home, and there is a lot of ODI cricket happening as well, you will suddenly find Shreyas Iyer playing in two of the three formats," he said.

The cricketer-turned-commentator added that the Punjab Kings (PBKS) skipper has got a huge opportunity and is likely to make the most of it.

"He plays ODIs in any case, and I feel his name can come in Tests, and considering the kind of form he is in, the way he plays spin, and the kind of pitches you will get here, he will be fine. He will score the runs. So the doors have opened up quite wide and quite nicely," Chopra observed.

Shreyas Iyer has aggregated 811 runs at an average of 36.86 in 14 Tests. He has scored 534 runs at an average of 35.60 in nine Tests in India.