‘I don't see any aggressive captaincy’ - Aakash Chopra questions Ben Stokes’ leadership after second Test loss

Team India pulled a brilliant comeback in their ongoing five-game Test series against England, losing the first Test. The Rohit Sharma-led side put forth a brilliant showing to level the series after their win in Vizag.

After the first Test, the 'bazball' brand of cricket looked stale in Visakhapatnam, and the same was the opinion of former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra. Coming forward to question Ben Stokes’ captaincy in the game, Chopra opined that the skipper did not utilise his bowlers to their maximum extent.

"Do they (England) follow the Bazball approach in bowling as well? They keep slightly innovative fields at times. That is interesting. I like that because it forces you to think repeatedly. However, beyond that, I don't see any aggressive captaincy,” Chopra said in a video on his YouTube channel.

"With his field placements and usage of his bowlers, the captaincy is not at all aggressive. On the first day, he didn't use Rehan Ahmed for the first 60 overs. He forgot that he had a leg spinner," he added.

You said you would go with one only: Chopra

Furthermore, Aakash Chopra also questioned Ben Stokes’ decision to play just one seamer in the second Test of the series which was played at Vizag. Branding it a huge blunder on his part, the former batter also stated that England’s inability to read the pitch should be called out.

"In fact, a huge tactical blunder was that you didn't play two fast bowlers. This pitch was screaming that you should play two fast bowlers but you didn't play them. You said you would go with one only,” Chopra said.

"You even said that you could go with an all-spin attack. That is a failure to read the pitch. A failure should be called what it is because it was a tactical failure that you played only one fast bowler and you felt the absence of another fast bowler," he added.