Former Indian skipper Sunil Gavaskar has heaped praise on left-arm spinner Axar Patel. Gavaskar stated that Patel has grabbed his opportunities with both hands and it won’t be easy for Ravindra Jadeja to retain his place in the side.
Patel had a dream start to his Test career against England after he was picked in the absence of all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, who missed out due to a thumb injury.
The left-arm orthodox spinner from Gujarat, scalped 27 wickets in three Test matches against England at an impressive average of 10.59 as he breathed down the neck of the English batsmen with his arm delivery. Patel returned with figures of 2-40, 5-60, 6-38, 5-32, 4-68, 6-48 in the six innings he bowled.
Thus, the 27-year old spinner bagged a total of four five-wicket hauls in the six innings. Patel couldn’t have asked for a better start and he must have grown in confidence after his impressive performance against England.
“Axar Patel has grabbed his opportunities. He has taken 27 wickets, he has also shown that he can bat well and he is also a very good fielder, probably not as good as Ravindra Jadeja,” said Gavaskar while talking to Star Sports.
Gavaskar added that healthy competition for a single spot is good for Indian cricket as there will be no complacency in this case.
“It’s not going to be easy for Ravindra Jadeja to break into the team because if you go by form, with him not having played much cricket, the Indian think tank might want to retain Axar Patel. It’s always good to have two players fighting for one place because that means that complacency will not set in,” added Gavaskar.
The Little Master added that Patel has taken Test cricket like a duck to water as he has had a smooth start to his career. Patel backed his strengths and followed the basics against England to savour success in his maiden series.
Patel’s 27 wickets are the most for any debutant player, for bowlers who played a maximum of three Test matches. Sri Lanka’s Ajanta Mendis had snared 26 wickets against India back in 2008.
Patel is also part of the T20I squad against England and he will look to carry his form. The first T20I match will take place at the Narendra Modi Stadium on 12th March.
