3 reasons why India have underutilized Axar Patel in the Tests vs Australia
The ongoing Border Gavaskar series is interestingly poised 2-1 in India's favor with the final match being played out at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. India dominated the first two Tests at Nagpur and Delhi before a resurgent Aussie side led by Steve Smith defeated India in the third Test in Indore.
While India has done a pretty good job, they have been found lacking in some areas. Several experts, pundits, and fans have expressed their disappointment at the underutilization of all-rounder Axar Patel.
Here are 3 reasons which prove that India has underutilized Axar Patel in the Tests vs Australia.
#1 Sending him to bat at No 9
Axar Patel has been one of the best batters from both sides in the ongoing series, having scored 185 runs at an average of 92.50 with the help of two half-centuries. He has bailed India out of nervy situations on a couple of occasions when the main batters have found it tough to get going.
India could have promoted Axar Patel following his good performances in Nagpur and Delhi but they did not cash in on the opportunity. This cost India in Indore as he couldn't get support from the tailenders, because of which India couldn't set the Aussies a defendable target.
#2 Underbowling him
Axar Patel has bowled only 67overs in the series so far. In comparison, Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin have bowled 141.1 and 142.2 overs respectively. While it is true that the two senior pros have been magnificent because of which the skipper has favored them, India might have missed a trick by not giving Axar enough overs on a consistent basis.
He was used by Rohit Sharma only when Jadeja and Ashwin needed some rest. Axar could never really find his rhythm because of this, which came to bite India in the Indore Test in which Jadeja and Ashwin were not up to the mark.
#3 His confidence has been top-notch
Looking at the way he has gone about his batting, one can easily feel that Patel is extremely high on confidence. Even in the Indore Test, he was batting well on 15 when Mohammed Siraj played a rash shot because of which India was bowled out. Axar was visibly frustrated, which seemed to show that he had a belief that he could have added a few more runs.
The skipper, Rohit Sharma, seems to have gone into the series with a fixed mindset of using Axar as a third spinner and someone who can add a few runs to the total. However, after his phenomenal initiation into Test cricket, Axar should have been trusted a lot more. Again, after his showings in the first Test, India showed have shown a lot more faith in him.