" These guys are not new to the Indian setup"- Pragyan Ojha confident of Axar, Sundar finding form soon
Former Indian cricketer Pragyan Ojha isn't worried about the bowling form of Indian spinners Axar Patel and Washington Sundar in the ongoing IPL 2023 season. The two finger-spinners have been a tad inconsistent in the tournament, but Ojha is confident of both doing well for India.
The former cricketer also opined that Axar's performances may also be a by-product of the fact that his team, the Delhi Capitals (DC), have been struggling this season.
Responding to a Sportskeeda query in a media interaction arranged for limited publications by Jio Cinema, here's what IPL expert Pragyan Ojha had to say about Axar Patel and Washington Sundar's form:
"Both these guys (Axar and Sundar) have been a part of the core team, both can bat, both can bowl in the powerplay, middle overs and in the death overs. When you talk about Axar, you can say that because their team is not performing well, we can talk about individuals. But overall we need to give these guys some space. These guys are not new to the Indian setup. They will be getting chances and will do well."
Pragyan Ojha also reckons Mumbai Indians (MI) spinner Hrithik Shokeen could really become the star off-spinner for India after Ravichandran Ashwin and Sundar. He added:
"I think Hrithik from Mumbai Indians, he has got good fingers and I think he has the potential of doing really well, but it is too early. We hardly see any good off-spinners. After Ashwin, we have Sundar but in red-ball cricket, this guy has the potential to develop. His bowling, temperament and action looks really good."
Pragyan Ojha on left-arm spinners to watch out for
Being a former left-arm spinner for India himself, Pragyan Ojha earmarked Kumar Kartikeya and Shahbaz Ahmed as the two left-arm spinners to watch out for going ahead. He has been impressed with their performances in domestic cricket and the IPL and feels they will only get better.
On this, Ojha stated:
"I think Kartikeya is a good left-arm spinner. He has got good skills and everytime he has played he has created an impact. I would like to see some more of Shahbaz Ahmed. He did well in domestic cricket and IPL and that’s why he has been picked in the Indian team. I would really like these two guys to do well."
It will be interesting to see how the next crop of spinners perform for India after the mark left by the likes of Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja.