Former Indian World Cup winner Harbhajan Singh explained the reason why India would pick all-rounder Axar Patel over Kuldeep Yadav for the third spinner position in the highly anticipated 5-Test series against England. The Men in Blue have picked 4 spinners in their squad for the England Tests with three expected to feature in the first test.
Indian team think-tank is expected to field three spinners Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, and Axar Patel. Kuldeep Yadav has been named the squad’s fourth spinner, while he may not be the frontrunner to play the series, the left-arm wrist spinner may fight Axar for a position in the XI depending on the conditions.
Speaking to PTI ahead of the first Test in Hyderabad, Harbhajan Singh feels that India may choose Axar Patel to Kuldeep Yadav to boost their batting, especially if spinner-friendly conditions are present throughout the Test series, and that he can contribute to the team with the bat, which will be critical for the team in the five-match series.
”Look, the way I look at it is that when both R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja are in playing eleven and you are looking at a third specialist spinner, it should be Kuldeep. Because Kuldeep as a wrist spinner will bring that variation. But I believe Axar’s selection in Test matches is purely on his batting skills. At No 8 or 9, he can bat and that’s what he brings to the table,’‘ Harbhajan Singh said.
Axar Patel had a successful debut series when England toured India for a four-Test series in 2021. The left-arm spinner took 27 wickets in his first three Test matches of the series. The Left-handed all-rounder was instrumental in India’s comeback from a 1-0 deficit to win the series 3-1 in 2021 and might be crucial again against an aggressive England outfit.
Axar Patel Is Fantastic At Target Hitting And Hence He Remains Favourite – Harbhajan Singh
Harbhajan Singh hailed Axar Patel for his all-round ability in red-ball cricket, which is why he would prefer left-arm wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav in the XI. The cricketer-turned-commentator outlined the ‘target shooters’ approach on rank-turners and praised Axar Patel’s consistency and discipline in bowling at particular line and length.
”If you look at our batting performances on rank turners, you would know that we haven’t also done very well. Our batting also could struggle if there is excessive turn and hence you then want a longer tail and that’s where Axar comes into effect with his batting”.
”Now coming to the bowling. On turners, you need a ”target shooter”. One who would just keep on bowling wicket to wicket, hitting more or less the same length over and over. On turners, you won’t need to turn or show variations to get wickets. When it comes to that discipline, Axar is fantastic at target hitting and hence he remains favourite,” Harbhajan Singh added.
Axar Patel struggled against Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy last year, picking up three wickets in four Tests. Kuldeep Yadav has played only three Tests in the last five years, despite his dominance in white-ball formats. It will be interesting to see what kind of pitches are provided in Hyderabad.
