The all-rounder replaces injured Ravindra Jadeja in Test squad
Axar Patel
Mumbai: He tries his best to stay away from being sucked into the competition debate that he faces with fellow left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja when playing for Team India in the ODIs.
With a similar bowling style but vastly different approach, Axar has always maintained that he does not compete for a spot with Jadeja, but instead only focuses on improving his game everyday. On Monday, as luck would have it, Axar got his maiden Test call-up after Jadeja was ruled out of the ongoing Australia Test series due to shoulder injury. Jadeja will return to India to undergo a rehabilitation programme.
Having made his India debut in only June this year against Bangladesh, the call up speaks of Axar rapid rise in international cricket. The decision also signals that national selectors eye Axar a handy bowler and calm yet hard-hitting batsman as a key man in India’s 15-man World Cup squad to be announced by Jan. 7.
Axar has bagged 14 wickets at an average of 20.28 and an economy rate of 4.49 in the nine ODIs he has played. He was the leading wicket taker with 11 scalps from five games in the home series against Sri Lanka.
The 20-year-old was playing in a Ranji Trophy game for Gujarat against Saurashtra when he got the news. “I am sad that Ravindra Jadeja has to miss the rest of the series but personally it an overwhelming feeling to be named in the Test squad,” Axar told his newspaper.
Asked how much the Test call up meant to him, Axar said, “This is really huge. When I was in the Indian ODI team, I wanted to work hard and earn the Test cap. Some thought that I was only a limited overs specialist. This opportunity will help me prove myself in the longer version too.”
Axar is likely to miss the third Test as he expected to leave on Dec. 25, a day before the Boxing Day Test kicks off in Melbourne. However, the early start will help him for settle down before the tri-series.
“It will help me acclimatize to the conditions. It is important to gauge the bounce and nature of the tracks and I will study that when I join the team.” The Nadiad-born player said he is not thinking about the World Cup. “It is a big tournament but at the moment I am not thinking about it. My goal was to do well in the Ranji Trophy (seven wickets so far) and make sure my rhythm was not lost,” he said.
( Source : dc )
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