Former Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh feels Axar Patel will be preferred as the third spinner ahead of Kuldeep Yadav if the upcoming Test series against England is played on rank turners. Singh reckons veteran spinners – Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja – will pick themselves in the playing XI.

The Turbanator added India’s batting could be tentative if they play on rank turners and thus India will need depth in their batting. Patel has better batting numbers as he has scored 513 runs in 12 Test matches at an average of 36.64.

”Look, the way I look at it is that when both R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja are in playing eleven and you are looking at a third specialist spinner, it should be Kuldeep. Because Kuldeep as a wrist spinner will bring that variation. But I believe Axar’s selection in Test matches is purely on his batting skills. At No 8 or 9, he can bat and that’s what he brings to the table,” Harbhajan said while talking to PTI.

”If you look at our batting performances on rank turners, you would know that we haven’t also done very well. Our batting also could struggle if there is excessive turn and hence you then want a longer tail and that’s where Axar comes into effect with his batting.

Furthermore, the left-arm orthodox spinner is well known to bowl wicket-to-wicket and he is mostly right on the money.

”Now coming to the bowling. On turners, you need a ”target shooter”. One who would just keep on bowling wicket to wicket, hitting more or less same length over after over.”

‘On turners, you won’t need to turn or show variations to get wickets. When it comes to that discipline, Axar is fantastic at target hitting and hence he remains favourite,” Harbhajan added.

Meanwhile, Axar Patel was at his fantastic best against England in 2021, picking 27 wickets in four Test matches and he was the chief destroyer along with Ravichandran Ashwin.

India and England will take on each other in the first Test match from 25th January onwards at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad.