Lacking chunk: Axar has picked up only one wicket in three Tests on this collection.
| Photo Credit: AFP
What’s the problem with Axar Patel’s bowling? Where has that chunk off the pitch disappeared?
Had the left-arm spinner bought three wickets in the first Test at Nagpur he would have equalled R. Ashwin as the quickest to 50 wickets.
Stranded
Instead, Axar is on 48 scalps after three Tests on tracks that spinners dream about.
In this collection he has despatched down 39 overs for one wicket at a median of 103. Compare this to his pre-series stats of 47 wickets in eight Tests at 14.29.
The drawback is technical. Somewhere alongside the line, he has misplaced his capacity to pivot correctly and isn’t in a position to get sufficient physique behind the ball. Instead of making use of revs, he’s tending to push the ball by means of. Once you try this the ball is unlikely to grip the floor and switch.
Axar, nevertheless, has been good with the bat, having made 185 runs in the three Tests at a median of 92.50.
| Photo Credit:
AP
On the minefield that the pitch at the Holkar Stadium was, Axar was not even turning the ball previous the right-hander’s exterior edge. The Aussies tackled this tall, lanky bowler with a high-arm motion, with ease.
Axar has to return to the fundamentals and set proper his motion and launch.
With the bat, nevertheless, Axar has been excellent. He has added depth to the line-up, and made 185 runs in the three Tests at a median of 92.50. He scored 84 in Nagpur and a match-winning 74 in Delhi.
Yet, the left-hander, with a penchant for hitting sixes, was bafflingly despatched in at No. 8 and No. 9 in Indore. He was left stranded, unbeaten on 12 and 15 in Indore. When you’re in type, you aren’t despatched so low with solely tailenders for firm on such wickets the place the tail isn’t anticipated to final lengthy.
On his half, Axar has appeared composed and organised with the bat and, contemplating his type, ought to have are available forward of Srikar Bharat. But then, a lot about how Axar has been dealt with on this collection stays a mystery.
