Last Update: January 07, 2023, 11:17 AM IST
Akshar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja
Former India batsman Wasim Jaffer has heaped praise on Akshar Patel, saying he can easily replace star all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja if he continues to perform well with both bat and ball.
Team India India lost the second T20 match of the three-match series against Sri Lanka on Thursday (January 5). Although India lost the game by 16 runs, Axar Patel won the hearts of his fans as he scalped two wickets and scored 65 off 31 balls.
He received a lot of praise from fans and former cricketers for his exceptional performance. Former India batsman Wasim Jaffer also praised Akshar and said that if he continues to perform like this, he can easily fill in the place of star all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, who has been missing since the injury in Asia. Cup 2022.
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He said, ‘India does not lack Jadeja, who has been a great player in all three formats. But since India got Akshar Patel, we are not talking too much about Jadeja as he is out. It shows how good Akshar is as a cricketer. fantastic. As of now, yes (Akshar is India’s No. 1 spin all-rounder). India are lucky that they have got such a replacement (for Jadeja) in Axar Patel. He is making the most of it across formats. He can bowl in the powerplay which I think Jadeja doesn’t like. Characters can do this. And if he bats like this, it is debatable.”
Furthermore, Jaffer praised Akshar for his improvement with the bat and also appreciated his technique.
He said, ‘In the last match also he contributed a lot with the bat. Today (Thursday) he again showed how much he has improved. Huge improvement in character as a batsman. He has very good technique. We don’t see him hitting too many balls. He’s pretty sure that when he connects, he’s going to hit it out of the park. He targets the spinners, is steady and hits it very straight.”
In the second T20 match played in Pune, Team India won the toss and decided to field first. Things didn’t go well for India as fast bowler Arshdeep Singh bowled three consecutive no balls in the second over itself. Sri Lanka took advantage of this and started well. Umran Malik (3) and Akshar Patel (2) took five wickets together but Sri Lankan captain Dasun Shanaka scored an unbeaten 56 off 22 balls, while wicketkeeper Kusal Mendis scored 52 off 31 balls to guide Sri Lanka to a strong 206. 6.
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Chasing, India’s top-order collapsed as India lost five wickets for just 57 runs on the board. It was then Axar (65), who stitched a 91-run partnership with Suryakumar Yadav (51) to bring hopes into the game. However, his efforts went in vain as Sri Lanka regained their grip and Team India was restricted to 190/8.
The series is currently tied at 1-1 and now both the teams will lock horns against each other in the third and final T20 match on Saturday (January 7) in Rajkot.
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