Former India batsman Aakash Chopra believes rajapatidarA return to the India T20I team will have to wait and he feels that despite the Royal Challengers Bangalore skipper’s impressive performance, the current batting line-up leaves little room for him.Patidar was not included in India’s 16-man squad for the five-match T20I series against England. His move sparked debate, especially considering India’s absence from the top order, which is dominated by left-handers.In a video on his YouTube channel ‘Aakash Chopra’, the former opener was asked if Patidar deserves a place in the India T20I team. Chopra responded that the bigger issue was determining which batsman should give way.“It’s a very good question but to find the answer to it, we have to dig deeper and see who is out. Currently the left-handers are all kept in the top three. You won’t see Rajat Patidar in these places because you have Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Abhishek Sharmaand Ishan Kishan,” Chopra responded.“There is no scope for change in any of the three. Ishan Kishan is at No. 3. If you have the ability to get rid of Ishan Kishan, get rid of him. He has become the first batsman in T20Is now. It looks like we are not handling Sanju well,” he added.Chopra’s remarks came after Sanju Samson was left out of the starting XI for the second T20I against England. Sanju Samson was part of India’s winning bid for the 2026 T20 World Cup and was ultimately named the Player of the Tournament. Samson performed well in the first match but gave way to top-ranked Vaibhav Sooryavanshi after consecutive low scores.The former India cricketer then took stock of the middle order, pointing out Shreyas Iyer and vice-captain Tilak Varma Not likely to lose his position. This leaves only the post of Shivam Dube as a possible vacancy for Patidar, he said.“Shreyas Iyer is at No. 4, your vice-captain Tilak Varma is at No. 5. Shivam Dube is at No. 6. If you are not going to move the captain and vice-captain (which you shouldn’t do), are you willing to replace Shivam Dube with Rajat Patidar?” he said in the same video.While Chopra admits that Patidhar deserves another chance at the international level, he feels the timing is not right as the current combination is difficult to break.“I think his time will come. Raja Patidar will definitely play for India again. He has played Test cricket earlier. It is just a matter of time, but has that time come? It will come only when you have to leave someone out. Who do you leave out? That question has to be answered first. “I don’t think his name will come up right away,” Chopra commented.Patidar has represented India in three Test matches and one ODI so far. He has compiled an impressive record in domestic and franchise T20 cricket, scoring 3,389 runs in 106 innings at a strike rate of 160.08, which strengthens his case for another chance in India’s shortest format setting.
