The Indian cricket team is never short of talents and it often gets difficult for the selectors to pick the right players as the talent pool is huge. Recently former India international Ajay Jadeja shared how difficult it must be very difficult to select one player between Axar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja as India’s left arm spin bowling allrounder option in Test matches.
Jadeja is out of action due to knee injury as he missed the T20 World Cup as well earlier. Whereas Axar has taken up this opportunity really well and has proven a point by picking up five wickets in the first Test match against Bangladesh which team India won. Axar picked up a crucial 4/77 in a very crucial juncture of the game in the second innings helping the visitors bag the win.
Following the win,Ajay Jadeja highlighted the exploits of Axar Patel as a bowler. He feels that Axar can surely be an option if India wants to look at the future. “All players are good. In fact, his (Axar’s) numbers are the best. What he did in this first match, whether he played in India, and the one match he got overseas now, his numbers are the best. He had an average of 12 in India, even Ashwin does not have that, no bowler has it in India,” Ajay Jadeja highlighted.
Ajay Jadeja explained how it will be extremely difficult to pick one of Axar and Jadeja as they offer the same traits with the ball in hand. He also shared how both the bowlers need the surface to beat the batters.
“It is extremely difficult to pick between the two. Both are left-armers and it is not that they have different skills. Kuldeep Yadav beats the batters in the air, both of them beat the batters from the surface. They need the surface,” the former India cricketer explained.
Axar has been one of the most impressive bowlers for India as he has scalped 44 wickets at an exceptional average of 13 in the seven Test matches that he has played so far. Till now he had mostly played at home until this match against Bangladesh. But when there is turn on the pitch, Axar Patel can be very dangerous as he keeps it simple and is very consistent with his line and length.
While it is difficult to choose one, Ajay Jadeja wants to see which bowler can be more deadly in flat tracks with hardly any turn. He feels that it can be a nice way to draw a line between the two. “There is no better bowler than both of them when the surface is dangerous but if the surface is flat and there is no help from the surface, then who is better between the two, that will be one factor to decide,” Ajay Jadeja concluded.
Axar will be looking to continue his sensational form in the second Test match against Bangladesh aswell as he keeps on growing as a bowler and also as a cricketer.
