Former cricketer Suresh Raina believes that Axar Patel has guaranteed his place in the Indian for the upcoming T20 World Cup, which is slated to begin on June 1. In the absence of Ravindra Jadeja, the all-rounder has proved his worth, picking up two important wickets of Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Rahmat Shah in the first T20I against Afghanistan in Mohali and following which Raina reminded his contributions for the national team in recent times.
Raina spoke about Axar’s strength as he mentioned that the cricketer can vary his pace, which is very impactful in the shortest format of the game. However, he clarified that once Jadeja makes his return, things might get complicated. He added that the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) will be crucial as expects Axar to do well in the tournament, as he has a lot of confidence at the moment.
“He (Axar) bowls in the powerplay. He has done well whenever he has batted. (Pragyan) Ojha can tell better about his trajectory as he is himself a left-arm spinner. He varies his pace, the way he dismissed (Rahmanullah) Gurbaz. I feel his ticket is confirmed,” Raina said while talking to JioCinema.
“It needs to be seen how much they are thinking about Jadeja. He has definitely been rested because there are five Test matches against England. Jadeja is an impact player. It will depend a lot on the IPL performance, the rhythm you are in, and the self-confidence you have,” the 37-year-old added.
Axar’s game-reading sense is top-class: Pragyan Ojha
Axar’s performance has also impressed former cricketer Pragyan Ojha. The 37-year-old mentioned that his game-reading skill is top-class and his game awareness is always intact.
“He should be kept. When a bowler or an all-rounder remains in and out of the team and performs whenever given a chance, it means his game-reading sense is top-class, his game awareness is always intact,” Ojha mentioned.