T20 World Cup 2022: Is Axar Patel now ready to become a permanent member of the Indian eleven?
When India's star all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja got ruled out of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup due to a knee injury, cricket pundits claimed it to be a significant blow and obstacle to overcome in the World Cup
Axar Patel : Grabbing the opportunityAxar Patel was called in as his replacement in the Asia Cup and subsequently, was added to the series against Australia, South Africa, and the World Cup squad. His ability to step up and fill in the shoes of Ravindra Jadeja has been remarkable.
Comparing their performances on the field, while Ravindra Jadeja's batting skills might outshine Axar Patel in terms of bowling and wicket-taking ability, the latter outperforms on the field.
The left-hander batter has been impressive in the recent series against Australia, a testament to his prowess and showing what he can offer to his team. In the two T20Is, he returned with impressive figures of 3/17 and 2/13. Looking at his stunning performance, many former cricketers believe he cemented his place in the Indian team.
Praising his bowling, skipper Rohit Sharma said, "Axar can bowl in any stage, which gives me an advantage of using the other bowlers in different situations too...maybe use the pacers in the middle overs."
Known for his bowling, he has worked hard on his batting skills to make it to the World Cup squad. He credited his IPL stint with Delhi Capitals and Ricky Ponting to instil faith in him for fulfilling the role of finisher for his team in any format.
A strike rate of 136-plus in T20Is and an economy of 7.11 speak volumes about his potential, even though he never played one in Australia. His numbers and recent performances make him look to be a permanent member of team India in playing XI.
This year 2022, Axar Patel has played eight innings to score 75 runs with a strike rate of 150, whereas Ravindra Jadeja accumulated 201 runs in the same number of matches with a strike rate of 141.54. Considering the bowling, Axar Patel had a strike rate of 16 in contrast to 32.4 of Ravindra Jadeja.
Former selector Saba Karim said, "Axar Patel has shown that his place is confirmed. He has the skills and maturity and bowled with a clever mindset. His contribution in consecutive games is very big for the Indian team. His batting is also improving and I think he is the best replacement for Jadeja."