AHMEDABAD: In the final of the T20 World Cup in West Indies in June last year, many questioned the wisdom of promoting left-handed allrounder Axar Patel to the No. 5 slot ahead of the hard-hitting Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube. Axar, as it turned out, delivered with a crucial 31-ball 47, including a sublime straight six off pacer Kagiso Rabada.
Eight months down the line, with another ICC event on the horizon, India seem to be favouring the same template, playing Axar at No. 5 in a line-up not comprising Rishabh Pant. Pant, in fact, continues to sit out, with KL Rahul doing wicket keeping duties.
In this series, with openers Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill complementing each other nicely, veteran Virat Kohli at No. 3 and the in-form Shreyas Iyer at No. 4, the team has the flexibility to play Axar as a floater.
With 93 runs in his first two matches, that too as the sole left-handed option in the middle order, Axar has justified the move.
Former Gujarat Ranji coach Hitesh Majmudar, under whom the 31-year-old Axar made his debut in domestic circuit, told TOI, “Axar’s batting credentials are not talked about enough. He played a vital role in Gujarat winning the Vijay Hazare trophy in 2015-16 and the Syed Mushtaq Ali in 2014-15. He has the ability to hit the ball to all parts of the ground, which makes his batting a vital aspect of his game. He showed that with his innings in Barbados, which allowed Virat to play his game and Dube to accelerate as usual.
“Whenever Axar has been given the opportunity to bat up the order, he has delivered. He plays according to the situation. He is refining his game to suit the needs of the team. He works hard on his batting and is among the best allrounders India currently have. While Ravindra Jadeja is more of a bowling allrounder, Axar is a proper batting allrounder,” said Majmudar, who played domestic cricket for Gujarat.
Apart from his well-known brand of left-arm spin – different to Jadeja’s style – Axar is generally known as a safe fielder too, adding to his utility in the team.
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