Axar Patel embraces new position as batting enforcer | Cricket Information – The Instances of India

AHMEDABAD: Within the ultimate of the T20 World Cup in West Indies in June final yr, many questioned the knowledge of selling left-handed allrounder Axar Patel to the No. 5 slot forward of the hard-hitting Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube. Axar, because it turned out, delivered with a vital 31-ball 47, together with a chic straight six off pacer Kagiso Rabada.
Eight months down the road, with one other ICC occasion on the horizon, India appear to be favouring the identical template, enjoying Axar at No. 5 in a line-up not comprising Rishabh Pant. Pant, actually, continues to sit down out, with KL Rahul doing wicket protecting duties.
On this sequence, with openers Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill complementing one another properly, veteran Virat Kohli at No. 3 and the in-form Shreyas Iyer at No. 4, the group has the flexibleness to play Axar as a floater.
With 93 runs in his first two matches, that too as the only left-handed choice within the center order, Axar has justified the transfer.
Former Gujarat Ranji coach Hitesh Majmudar, underneath whom the 31-year-old Axar made his debut in home circuit, advised TOI, “Axar’s batting credentials aren’t talked about sufficient. He performed an important position in Gujarat successful the Vijay Hazare trophy in 2015-16 and the Syed Mushtaq Ali in 2014-15. He has the power to hit the ball to all components of the bottom, which makes his batting an important side of his sport. He confirmed that along with his innings in Barbados, which allowed Virat to play his sport and Dube to speed up as ordinary.
“Every time Axar has been given the chance to bat up the order, he has delivered. He performs in keeping with the scenario. He’s refining his sport to go well with the wants of the group. He works laborious on his batting and is among the many greatest allrounders India at the moment have. Whereas Ravindra Jadeja is extra of a bowling allrounder, Axar is a correct batting allrounder,” stated Majmudar, who performed home cricket for Gujarat.
Other than his well-known model of left-arm spin – totally different to Jadeja’s type – Axar is generally called a secure fielder too, including to his utility within the group.