Suryakumar Yadav Golden Duck in 3rd ODI
Suryakumar Yadav Golden Duck in 3rd ODI. Image Credits: Twitter

Ace Indian spinner, Ravichandran Ashwin defended India’s decision to send Axar Patel ahead of Suryakumar Yadav in the third ODI at Chennai. The experiment failed as Axar was dismissed for two runs while Suryakumar got out on the very first ball for the third time in the recently-concluded series.

While Team India lost the ODI series against Australia, it was the first loss for Men in Blue at their fortress since 2019. The biggest question after the series loss was raised on Indian batting performance, as they failed to deliver in all three games, while the batting order was also questioned by former players in the day-long format fixtures.

Ravichandran Ashwin
Ravichandran Ashwin. Image Credits: Twitter

Ravichandran Ashwin said the intention of the Indian team was good but Axar got run out-

‘Why did they promote Axar? If they promoted Axar and he negated Zampa and Agar by taking them for 35 or 50 runs in 10 overs then the game was in India’s bag. So the intent was right but the run-out happened. The outcome wasn’t right,” spoked veteran spinner on his YouTube channel.

In the series decider at Chennai, Axar was sent after KL Rahul got dismissed in the 28th over of the game ahead of Surya and Hardik Pandya, however, he got dismissed in the very next over.

“Surya came down the order, Axar was promoted and KL Rahul batted at No.4, that was the talking point of the game. Please look at Australia’s batting order consistently. When Maxwell returns that’s how they will use him as well. Because they are players who can create impact.

“Suryakumar Yadav is also one such player. He plays spin really well. Australia won that’s why it didn’t become a talking point but Marnus Labuschagne who bats at No.4 had to bat at No.5 because of David Warner. If they had lost the game, these questions would have been asked. It’s decided based on the situation of the game, it’s a hunch call,” he further added.

While after 35 overs in Chennai ODI, India was comfortably placed at 185 for 4 to chase down the target of 270, Agar dismissed Virat Kohli (54) and Suryakumar Yadav on successive deliveries. The Rohit Sharma-led side eventually lost the third game by 21 runs after getting bowled out for 248 runs in the last over.

“There is an opinion that India is the strongest team. We are a strong team, no doubt about that but somewhere down the line, we assume ourselves to be an invincible cricketing nation. So the feedback coming from the public sometimes can be harsh. Even experts are very harsh with their criticisms these days,” concluded Ashwin on India’s performance in the ODI series.

After the game, India’s No. 1 ODI ranking was dethroned by Australia, who won the final match in Chennai and the 50-over format series against the Men in Blue by 2-1 to end the tour on a high note.

Also read: Former India Opener Backs Sanju Samson To Play In Place Of Suryakumar Yadav In The World Cup 2023