India vs Australia: Axar Patel makes claim for Ravindra Jadeja’s vacant T20 World Cup spot

Sep 21, 2022 - 10:30

0 23

India vs Australia: Axar Patel makes claim for Ravindra Jadeja’s vacant T20 World Cup spot

Mohali: Two things happened with India’s bowling attack on Tuesday night. One pertained to Umesh Yadav’s weird selection. He isn’t going to the T20 World Cup, he is not even in the reserves. Yet, he’s currently a backup for reserve bowler Mohammed Shami, who is down with Covid-19.

Despite these parameters, for Yadav to play the first T20I against Australia made absolutely no sense. While Shami was out, Jasprit Bumrah was afforded additional time, Arshdeep Singh was rested from this series and Deepak Chahar would have put a one-dimensional outlook on the pace attack. Hence, some would argue that Yadav’s pace was necessary.

Umesh Yadav is the first player to have multiple gaps of missing 50+ consecutive matches for the team in T20I career.
Missed 65 matches from 2012 to 2018. Later missed 65 matches from 2019 to today.#INDvAUS
— Kausthub Gudipati (@kaustats) September 20, 2022

That is a cynical argument. It is nothing more than an admission that India’s original World Cup squad is now missing the element of raw pace. Bumrah will be India’s quickest bowler in Australia, unless Shami makes the jump from reserves. Even so, it would give the same look to India’s bowling as last year’s T20 World Cup, thus rendering any team experimentation moot.

Analysis | Hardik Pandya’s batting unparalleled assault goes in vain as bowlers stumble

For the record, Yadav isn’t to blame here. He turned up and did his job, even picking two wickets in the middle overs to bring India back into the game. It is the team management – selectors included – who need to answer some stringent questions and how it possibly helps India’s World Cup ambitions.

If Yadav is good enough to play now, a month before the Australian tourney begins, why wasn’t he in the reckoning all this while?

The second happenstance from this heavy defeat pertains to another bowling selection albeit a positive one. With 3/17 from four overs, Axar Patel staked his claim for Ravindra Jadeja’s vacant spot in the T20 World Cup. And it was high time he did so, for his selection somewhat rectifies the imbalance caused by Jadeja’s knee injury.

Also Read | Men in Blue’s listless bowling at death and other talking points from 1st T20I

First, let’s take stock of what Jadeja’s absence really means. To quote an Indian former selector, he is a three-dimensional player. The current management decided to use Jadeja’s batting skills higher up as they fit in Dinesh Karthik at the expense of Rishabh Pant. As a left-hander coming in at number five, Jadeja reversed the right-hand uniformity, pushed Hardik Pandya down to number six and elongated India’s batting line-up. It was an add-on to his primary bowling and fielding skills, thus underlining his impact as a vital T20I player.

With Jadeja ruled out, India’s batting and bowling balance goes for a toss. Suddenly, your second spinner is out, Pandya needs to step up with his batting and bowling. He is now the No 5 batter as well as the finisher with DK pushed to the last couple overs. Additionally, he needs to take more bowling responsibility instead of the two or three over spells.

Suddenly, without Jadeja, India’s plans seemed astray, so much so the management still hasn’t found out a solution to fit Pant back in even if for his left-handed batting ability.

Read | Dropped chances prove costly for Men in Blue in 1st T20I at Mohali

Enter Axar Patel. He is not the same batsman as Jadeja. There is no chance he will be pushed up the order ahead of Pandya, unless there is need for some reckless pinch-hitting. At best he creates a buffer, like on Tuesday evening, when India were down to 126/4 in the 14th over. Patel came out to bat at that juncture, and delayed DK’s arrival at the crease so he could do the finishing role best. There will be days when this ploy will work, and on some days it won’t, hence the added responsibility on Pandya’s shoulders.

Patel is definitely not the same fielder as Jadeja. With the latter ruled out, it is almost as if India’s overall fielding capability has dropped significantly. Just look at that Cameron Green dropped catch – Jadeja would have caught that in his sleep, no question. Patel, like any other Indian fielder, brings in that element of ‘will he, won’t he’ in pressure-cooker fielding situations.