Was Axar Patel s inclusion in the second test right ahead of Sundar?

                                              

“I think if we are going for a rank turner, then Kuldeep is the best option for me. He has been around the group for a significant time and I believe being around somebody like Bharat Arun has only helped him. I feel Kuldeep should replace Nadeem as Washy deserves another chance.

"He (Hardik) is working really hard on his game - as a bowler and also as a batsman. About Axar, as I said that we are going to take a call tomorrow about what will be our combination for this game. So yeah, you have to wait and see," Rahane had said in a virtual press-conference ahead of the first Test.





Shahbaz Nadeem and Washington Sundar were picked in absence of injured Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel and they managed to pick four wickets in between them in two innings. Shahbaz Nadeem bowled 59 overs for 233 runs, while Sundar gave 98 runs in 26 overs in the first innings, but was employed for only one over in the second innings.

If reports are to believed, Axar Patel is in line to play India’s second Test against England, starting February 13 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. Patel missed out on the opening Test at the same venue after he developed a knee niggle. The 27-year-old has played 38 ODIs and 11 T20Is but is yet to make his debut in Test cricket after playing 39 first-class matches.

Axar Patel, who missed the first Test following a minor injury on his knee, has regained match fitness as per a report in PTI. "Axar had a minor knee niggle and has already started batting at the nets. He is expected to start bowling during the next couple of days. He was always first choice to play the opening Test but it will depend on skipper Virat Kohli, head coach Ravi Shastri and bowling coach Bharath Arun," a senior BCCI source as saying in the report.

After a shoddy display in the opening encounter of the four-match Test series against England, a couple of changes is likely to be expected in the team's playing XI for the second clash that starts from Saturday. The Indian batting unit faltered in front of the English attack, while rookie spinners Shahbaz Nadeem and Washington Sundar failed to shine with the ball.

“Maybe they will bring Kuldeep Yadav for the next Test in place of Nadeem or Washington Sundar, whoever it is. But they need to look at dismissing England for lesser than what they scored this around. I think Shahbaz Nadeem got just a little bit nervous. I’m not even talking about the way he bowls but the no-balls it’s always an indication that the bowler is a little too anxious,” Gavaskar had said.

"If you talk about fast bowlers and Ashwin, they bowled consistently in good areas. The three of them. But I think if Washy (Washington Sundar) and Shahbaz (Nadeem) would have bowled those economic spells, the pressure created would have been more. The situation would have been different. The opposition would have scored 80-90 runs less," Kohli said during a virtual media-conference after the conclusion of the first Test.

“That’s a fair assessment. You need your bowling unit to step up and create pressure on the opposition. We didn’t achieve that in this game which is fine, lack of execution is acceptable but to understand our mindset was right is very important for us,” he said.

If the team management decides to bench Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav can return to the team. However, India might give the 21-year-old another chance, given his impressive performance with the bat.

Indian skipper did not hide his disappointment when it came to Nadeem’s performance. In the post-match conference, he said Nadeem and Sundar could not keep up the pressure that was created by Jasprit Bumrah, Ravichandran Ashwin, and Ishant Sharma.

With Ravichandran Ashwin and Washington Sundar in the side, Kuldeep Yadav had to miss out as he spun the ball into the right-hander as well. Instead, Team India went with the left-arm off-spin of Shahbaz Nadeem.

“Ajinkya and I’ve said this many a time in the past as well, that along with Pujara, he is our most important Test batsman and he’s going to continue to be. We believe in his abilities; we have believed in his abilities for a long time. He’s an impact player. If you talk about the MCG Test, he stood up and scored a hundred there when the team wanted it most,” Kohli said while addressing a virtual press-conference from Chennai on Tuesday.

Patel playing the second Test invariably means that Kuldeep Yadav may have to warm the benches again. After making his debut in 2017, Kuldeep has played six Tests but hasn’t donned the whites in the last two years since the Sydney Test in 2019.  Earlier, former Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar also called for Kuldeep’s inclusion for the second Test.

India is currently trailing 1-0 in the four-match series and cannot afford to lose a single match in order to keep their World Test Championship (WTC) final hopes alive. Meanwhile, England, who also are in contention for the WTC final spot, will look to put on another fiery display and solidify their chances of bagging the remaining spot.

The inclusion of Axar will provide the team with extra depth in their batting, something which the hosts would love to have after the hammering in the first Test. Apart from his batting abilities, the lanky cricketer can be an ideal incumbent for injured Ravindra Jadeja, considering the length the bowler prefers to bowls. If we peek into the stats of Axar, he has amassed over 1500 runs and 134 wickets in first-class cricket and would be waiting for an opportunity to make his debut in the traditional format of the game, after already representing India in both the limited-over formats.