Former Indian Test opener Aakash Chopra has urged the team’s think tank to promote Axar Patel in India’s batting order. Chopra noted that one downside of playing too many all-rounders in the final XI is the fact some players go underbowled whereas some don’t get enough balls while batting.
The renowned commentator recalled that Patel played a crucial knock in the T20 World Cup final against South Africa when he scored 47 runs off 31 balls after he was promoted to number five.
However, Patel played an uncalled shot in the second T20I against England at Chennai when he went for a big heave when the match situation didn’t demand that shot and thus was dismissed after scoring only two runs.
“There is a slight issue of too many all-rounders. You played Washi but made him bowl one over. You played Axar, got him to bowl, but changed his batting order to No. 8 or No. 9. Honestly speaking, when you have so many all-rounders, you don’t know how to use them. Someone remains underbowled and someone doesn’t get enough batting,” Aakash Chopra said on his YouTube Channel.
“Ideally, Axar Patel should come to bat up the order. Forget the last match’s shot, if you see the last one to one-and-a-half years, he is a very, very responsible batter. You can send him not at No. 8 but earlier. In fact, the Indian team have even sent him at No. 3 or No. 4. He managed the World Cup final. So you don’t want to keep him so low in the batting order,” Chopra added.
Meanwhile, in the second T20I against England, Washington Sundar bowled a solitary over in which he conceded nine runs and picked up a wicket.
“Similarly, when you are playing Washi, you don’t want to get him to bowl just one over. It seems great when you hear about all-rounders, but it’s not easy to manage all-rounders,” he said in the same video.
“However, when you look at your opponents and see Jamie Overton coming at No. 7, you say it’s better to have Axar at No. 8 than Jamie Overton at No. 7, although now I feel Jamie Overton also won’t come there. Brydon Carse will come. He batted extremely well in the last match,” Chopra observed.
The third T20I between India and England will be played at the Niranjan Shah Stadium, Rajkot on Tuesday.
