IND vs ENG: Ravindra Jadeja 2.0 Will Be Missed As Axar Patel Looks To Replace Him
With left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja out of India's Test squad due to a broken thumb, India could field another left-arm spinner Axar Patel for the first Test against England beginning February 5
The challenge for Patel will be matching his senior's all-around ability and penchant for taking wickets on Indian pitches, something that he does with variations in pace.
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Jadeja's batting has improved over the past few years. In the last three years, his batting average has been 55.57 in Test cricket. The 32-year-old left-hander has scored seven of his 15 half-centuries and one century in the period. In India, he bags wickets in a heap. He has taken 157 of his 220 Test wickets at home.
Patel, who has represented India in 38 ODIs and 11 T20Is, is yet to play a Test, though he has 134 wickets and has scored 1,665 runs at 35.42 in 39 first-class matches.
Gujarat's Patel qualifies as an all-rounder and his ability to turn the ball away from right-handed batsmen may prompt the team management to pick him in the XI along with R Ashwin, the off-spinner, who will most likely play the first Test at his home ground, M.A. Chidambaram Stadium.
Off-spinner Washington Sundar and Chinaman bowler Kuldeep Yadav, both of whom bring the ball into the right-hander batsman, are the other spinners in the Indian squad for the first two Tests.
There are seven right-handed batsmen out of 10 in the England squad for the first two Tests. And three of the six bowlers can bat right-handed.
India doesn't have a leg-spinner, so Axar becomes crucial with his left-arm spin.
"The advantage of having a left-arm spinner is that with the ball leaving the right-handed batsman, you have more chances of getting the batsman out," former India left-arm spinner Maninder Singh told IANS.
