Former Indian cricketer Wasim Jaffer thinks Axar Patel should bat at the same spot and refused the idea of promoting him up the order in the 3rd T20I against Sri Lanka on Saturday, January 7. Preferably, Jaffer thinks better performances from the top order, enable Axar to complete even better.
Axar has been in top-notch form with both bat and ball in both the T20Is in the series, securing 31 (20) and 65 (31) to rescue India from difficulty. The 28-year-old’s left-arm spin was estimated for 2 crucial wickets in the 2nd T20I as he came back with respectable figures of 4-0-24-2 in a high-scoring match.
🗣️🗣️ @akshar2026 talks about his valiant quick-fire maiden T20I fifty, those 3 sixes off Hasaranga & shares a special message for #TeamIndia fans ahead of the #INDvSL T20I series decider in Rajkot 👌🏻👌🏻 pic.twitter.com/IwhnVHkEvk
— BCCI (@BCCI) January 6, 2023
Talking on ESPN Cricinfo’s Recess, Jaffer reckons Axar should bat in a similar situation or else the team management risk rupturing his rhythm and that the top-order batters must enhance. He answered
“I don’t think so. Axar should be allowed to bat at the position where he is already doing well because he is finishing well at that spot, so it’s important not to break that rhythm. I only expect better performances from top-order batters. What he is doing, if the top-order can do that, then Axar can finish better.”
Talking on the track in Rajkot, the 44-year-old assumes India will once again field first and think of another high-scoring game. Jaffer remained:
“I expect a high-scoring game as the track in Rajkot is batting-friendly and the ball comes at a good pace. I think India will once again look to bowl first and hope to restrict Sri Lanka to a gettable score. Batting first would still not be a bad option but I think teams prefer to have the target in front of them.
“Alongside that, India will hope for a better performance, whether it be powerplay batting or powerplay bowling. I don’t think toss would matter that much as the expectation is of a score between 180-200.”
The first T20I in Mumbai wasn’t a high-scoring contest as Sri Lanka lost by two runs while chasing 163. The second game saw the tourists pile on 207, with the hosts falling 16 runs short despite their best efforts.
Also read:- Ravichandran Ashwin on Murali Karthik’s suggestion regarding the team’s approach in T20 cricket.