India vs Australia: Rohit Sharma’s spark of form is one less headache for hosts ahead of T20 World Cup

Coming into these last six T20I games, searching for an able spin partner for Yuzvndera Chahal was top of India’s wish list. And the ask wasn’t an easy one — Ravindra Jadeja is three players amalgamated into one. Some might even claim him to be the quintessential T20 cricketer as well. How do you go about replacing him – where to even begin?

To Axar Patel’s credit, he has stuck to the basics, doing what he does best. His core strength is left-arm spin, and considering this aspect in singularity, he even has the upper hand on Jadeja as per T20 statistics. Forget what he didn’t do with the bat in Mohali, or that incensing dropped catch off Cameron Green, Patel’s key endeavour has been to shore up the second spinner’s spot.

In Aaron Finch’s words, Patel was the difference maker in Nagpur, which wasn’t an easy feat. He bowled in the powerplay, and then another over again, to complete his quota of two overs — it yielded three wickets. Six wickets in two games despite intense World Cup scrutiny, and as concerns India’s bowling, he has ticked all the boxes from Mohali to Nagpur. On 23 October, when India takes on Pakistan in its World Cup opener, expect Patel to feature in the starting eleven.

Read: Rohit’s match-winning knock, Zampa’s spell and other talking points

When considering the second T20I in Nagpur alone, there is one other thing India doesn’t have to ponder over any longer. It is concerning the form of a key batsman — the first name on the team-sheet, its captain, Rohit Sharma. In that curtailed game, chasing 91 off 48 balls, the skipper put on a mega show for his ‘home’ fans. He was born in Nagpur, you see, and the hopeful Indian fanatic within hopes he has finally kick-started the World Cup campaign with his power hitting.

MAXIMUMS!