Yashasvi-Tilak should be given a longer rope and encouraged to bowl as often as possible: Aakash Chopra

Yashasvi Jaiswal smashed a belligerent ton on his Test debut in the West Indies. He followed it up with a half-century in his second innings. The Mumbai batter went on to make his T20I debut against the same opponent earlier this month and scored a swashbuckling half-century. Tilak Varma, on the other hand, impressed fans and critics alike with his performances during the T20I series against the West Indies. The southpaw ended as the highest run-getter for India in the series.

The two left-handed batters were also used with the ball by captain Hardik Pandya in the fifth T20I in Lauderhill, Florida. Tilak bowled a couple of overs of his off-spin and picked up the wicket of the in-form Nicholas Pooran. Yashasvi was also seen rolling his arm over for an over of leg-spin.

Former Indian opener Aakash Chopra wants India to utilize the bowling abilities of Tilak and Yashasvi going forward. He also felt that Washington Sundar should be brought back in the scheme of things as far as T20I cricket is concerned.

"Considering that most of the current Indian batters don’t bowl even a couple of overs, Indian team must start pushing batters who do. Yashasvi-Tilak should be given a longer rope…and encouraged to bowl as often as possible. Washington has to be in India’s T20 scheme of things too," Chopra wrote on his 'X' handle.

Considering that most of the current Indian batters don’t bowl even a couple of overs, Indian team must start pushing for batters who do. Yashasvi-Tilak should be given a longer rope…and encouraged to bowl as often as possible. Washington has to be in India’s T20 scheme of…

— Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) August 16, 2023

Some other batters who can bowl for India among the new generation

India have picked a number of youngsters to play the three-match T20I series against Ireland and also in the Asian Games. However, there aren't too many batters who can bowl as well. There is Shahbaz Ahmed who can do the job but with the likes of Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel already in the mix as left-arm orthodox bowlers, the chances of the Royal Challengers Bangalore all-rounder of getting a long rope look uncertain.

Shivam Dube could have been a good option but while his batting has flourished, his bowling has taken a backseat in recent years. Venkatesh Iyer is among the standbys in the Asian Games squad. He has started bowling after recovering from an injury and it might take time for him to bowl at full tilt. Deepak Hooda could have been a great option as he is very handy with his off-spin. However, after a horrendous IPL season, his stocks have taken a beating. It will be interesting to see if India takes Chopra's advice and start using Tilak and Yashasvi's bowling more often.