Image Credit- AP
Axar Patel’s name was absent from the T20I team when
India revealed their Test and white-ball teams for the upcoming tour to South
Africa on Thursday night. The selectors kept Washington Sundar and Ravi Bishnoi
from the current Australia series, while they substituted Ravindra Jadeja for
Axar.
There would only be six T20Is left for India after
this series before the T20 World Cup in June 2024. Thus, it was only logical to
wonder if this meant Axar’s days were over. He had already missed the 2023 ODI
World Cup due to a quadriceps issue, so it felt like a double blow.
While Axar isn’t as good at bowling as Jadeja, he is
undoubtedly a better T20 batsman. He did, however, demonstrate that he had
added another string to his bowling in the fourth Twenty20 International in
Raipur, as he and Bishnoi choked the Australian hitters to aid India in
defending 174.
The first three Twenty20 Internationals were played on
level fields with damp conditions, which made bowlers useless. Five totals
above 200 and one below 191 occurred in six innings.
But on Friday, with the pitch helping spinners and
seamers alike and with very little dew in the air, cricket felt more like a
bat-ball match than a bat-and-bat game. India felt they were still in the game
when Rinku Singh and Jitesh Sharma guided them to 174 for 9. Travis Head,
though, struck Deepak Chahar for 22 in the third over as Australia quickly
advanced to 40 for no loss and brought the needed rate under eight.
Suryakumar Yadav turned to Bishnoi immediately. It was
hardly a surprise; in the first three games, Bishnoi and Axar had each bowled
four overs during the powerplay, and with good effect. Axar had scored 1 for
25, while Bishnoi had scored 3 for 28. And as the hitter attempted to sweep a
full delivery and missed his off stump, the legspinner struck an immediate
blow, sending back Josh Philippe with his very first ball.
Head, though, has proven to be India’s enemy this
year. He helped Australia defeat India in the World Test Championship final in
June by scoring a century. He performed the same in the ODI World Cup final
last month. He appeared deadly even in Raipur.
In addition, Head’s strike rate (144.37) versus
left-arm fingerspin is quite good. On the other hand, Suryakumar supported Axar
in spite of that. Head attempted a slog sweep on the third ball he encountered
from Axar, received a top edge, and was caught at short third.
Suddenly Australia had Ben McDermott and Aaron Hardie,
two new, unskilled batsmen, at the crease. Axar usually bowls at a speed of 90
kph or more, but he lowered it down to 85 kph in his subsequent over. Hardie
took a slog, lost the ball, and ended up getting castled.
In contrast, McDermott was completely outmatched by
Bishnoi, a legspinner who hardly ever bowls legbreaks. Though he has been
working on it, the fast googly is still his stock ball for the time being. And
he continued to bother McDermott about it. The batsman twice survived certain
lbw appeals; both times, India challenged the ruling, but the ball-tracking
system went back to the on-field umpire’s call.
Bishnoi won the lbw ruling in his favour on the third
occasion. McDermott managed to get it reversed this time. Axar eventually
uprooted his off stump with a 94.9 kph bowl.
Both spinners had reached their quota before the end
of the thirteenth over. Axar ended up with three of sixteen, while Bishnoi only
had one. Their combined economy was 4.13, compared to India’s pacers who went
for 9.92.
Axar said he wasn’t out there to prove the selectors
wrong. But he will be hoping this performance keeps him in their minds.