Rating the performances of India's T20 World Cup all-rounders in IPL 2021
The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 season concluded on October 15 with the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) emerging as champions for the fourth time. They beat the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the final.
The action, however, will carry on for cricket fans as the T20 World Cup group stages got underway on Sunday (October 17).
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The players in India's squad for the T20 World Cup were all in action during IPL 2021. They would have gotten a good idea of the conditions in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) with the second half of the cash-rich league taking place there.
The UAE will also host most of the matches at the T20 World Cup, with some group stage matches slated to be held in Oman.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) also recently announced a change in India's squad. Shardul Thakur came into the main team for Axar Patel, who will be among India's stand-by players.
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Patel is among three all-rounders in the Indian squad, along with Ravindra Jadeja and Hardik Pandya.
With IPL 2021 acting almost like a pre-cursor to the T20 World Cup, players' form in the league could act as a good indicator of how they will perform in the World Cup. We rate the Indian all-rounders' performance in IPL 2021 on a scale of 10.
Ravindra Jadeja - 9/10
Is there anything Ravindra Jadeja did not do in IPL 2021? From being a gun finisher with the bat to taking key wickets and choking opponents for runs, Jadeja excelled with both bat and ball. He was also a lifewire on the field, taking stunning catches on a regular basis.
Jadeja showed he is a true all-rounder as CSK marched to their fourth IPL title. The all-rounder scored 227 runs in 16 matches at a strike rate of 145.51. His best performance with the bat came against Royal Challengers Bangalore, when he hit 37 runs off a Harshal Patel over, finishing unbeaten on 62 off just 28 balls.
With the ball, he chipped in with 13 wickets and maintained an economy rate of just 7.06. Jadeja also took 13 catches during the season, including two excellent grabs in the final.
India skipper Virat Kohli will hope Jadeja can recreate the same form for the national team at the World Cup.
Axar Patel - 7/10
Axar Patel is a stand-by player for India, but could be a key part of their team if called up.
A left-handed batter and left-arm spinner, Patel is very similar to Jadeja, but probably does not match the latter in terms of batting abilities. This was particularly shown in his form for Delhi Capitals (DC) in IPL 2021. However, with the ball, he can cause major problems for the opposition.
In IPL 2021, he was DC's premier spinner and complemented their devastating pace attack brilliantly. Patel took 15 wickets in 12 matches, with a brilliant economy rate of just 6.65. However, he did not contribute much with the bat, scoring just 40 runs off the 46 deliveries he faced.
Hardik Pandya - 3/10
Hardik Pandya had a horrendous IPL 2021, as the Mumbai Indians failed to make the playoffs.
Fitness concerns meant Pandya did not bowl a single delivery in the tournament and his form with the bat also took a major dip. In 12 matches, he scored just 112 runs at a strike rate of 113.39. Pandya was simply unable to time the ball and get going, and the fact that the majority of MI's batting order was out of form did not help at all.
The Team India management will hope the break from bowling in the IPL has given Pandya enough time to recuperate. He might be required to send down a few overs with the ball if required, with doubts constantly being cast on his spot in the playing XI as a pure batter.
However, with his unmatched ability to go big from the start of his innings, Kohli and co. will back Pandya to find his form with the willow as well. Both the all-rounder and India will hope he can put on a better show for his country than he did for his franchise.