India, Dec. 1 -- India's ODI transition is supposed to be about clarity, roles, and trust. Instead, after just one match against South Africa, Aakash Chopra sees confusion, mixed signals, and two players, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Rishabh Pant, caught in the middle of it all.

On his YouTube channel, after the first ODI, Chopra tore into the think-tank's use of Gaikwad and Pant, arguing that India can't talk about building for 2027 while still experimenting blindly with players' core roles.

For Chopra, the handling of Ruturaj Gaikwad is the classic case of judging a player in a role that isn't his. The opener walked in at number four in Ranchi, looked to settle in, and then fell to a blinder from Dewald Brevis, a dismissal that said more about...