Axar Patel
's staggering show with the bat while batting at No.3 for Delhi Capitals against Gujarat Titans on Wednesday has triggered a debate about whether India need to pick the lanky all-rounder over
Ravindra Jadeja
in the
T20 World Cup
team.
Both are left-arm spinners, both are gun fielders, and both can bat well. But in terms of T20 batting skills, one feels Axar is more equipped to play the big shots than
Jadeja
and bat in different gears as one saw on Wednesday.
Of course, Jadeja did win Super Kings the IPL title by hitting Mohit Sharma for a six and a four to win the trophy in the heart-stopping rain-affected final vs Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad last May.
If we take just this IPL as a sample size, both the players have similar stats. Axar has scored 123 runs in nine matches at a strike-rate of 132.36, while Jadeja has scored 157 at a strike-rate of 131.93.
But it is the six-hitting, a key element of T20 cricket, where Axar seems to have outshone his more illustrious compatriot.
Jadeja has struck two maximums so far and Axar has belted five. His more round-arm quickish action from a taller trajectory also might make him more effective with the ball if the wickets grip in the West Indies.
While Jadeja is a fantastic bowler in ODIs and Tests, his T20 bowling, because of his consistency in line and length does tend to get predictable for batters to take him down.
In this IPL, Axar has taken seven wickets in nine matches at a fantastic economy rate of 7.06. Considering wickets have been flat, it is a terrific performance. He has also bowled 53 dots in the 186 balls he has bowled. Rishabh Pant has also used him in the powerplay with success.
Jadeja has taken only four wickets so far despite bowling in spin-friendly conditions. His economy rate has also been higher at 7.85. Jadeja has also bowled fewer dots (43).
Their
T20I records
are similar too. In 52 games, Axar has scored 361 runs at a strike-rate of 144.40 and has taken 49 wickets at an economy rate of 7.26. Jadeja has played 66 games and scored 480 runs at a strike-rate of 125.32. As a bowler, he has taken 53 wickets at an economy rate of 7.10.
What one would have noticed in this IPL though is the fact that the Saurashtra and CSK all-rounder could not move the game forward at brisk pace when he was batting at No.4. A case in point being the innings against LSG where he made 16 off 19 balls in a partnership of 52 with skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad.
In contrast, Axar Patel, started off slowly at No.3 and then accelerated and showed his full range of strokes against Gujarat Titans.
English (US) ·