Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja: 2 lefts, 1 right

Axar Patel displayed a much sharper line as compared to Ravindra Jadeja in the second ODI against Sri Lanka.

Ravindra Jadeja (Center) faces some competition from the young Axar Patel who posses a much consistent line. (Source: PTI)

Rarely if ever in the last few years of international cricket has Ravindra Jadeja found himself in a place where he faces competition in the Indian side. He had edged past another left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha to make the Test side and the Saurashtra left-arm spinner has enjoyed an unchallenged run in all formats as MS Dhoni’s go-to man to rattle opponents. However, looking at the way the past few games against the West Indies and Sri Lanka have gone, Jadeja might find himself fending off some stiff competition before going to the World Cup.

Axar Patel, a spinner relatively unknown to the rest of the world, has been making all the right moves on the international circuit and given his showing in the last few outings, will not be denied the right to throw his hat into the ring in the run-up to the World Cup.

That he is as proficient a fielder as Jadeja and can tick all three boxes as India’s preferred spinning all-rounder, means he will be watched closely ahead of the Australia-New Zealand quadrennial.

Both spinners are in fact quite identical in their bowling style, save from the subtle differences like the way they end their follow-throughs. Axar has a high-arm action which helps him get some bounce off the pitch whereas Jadeja bowls more side-arm. They both bowl at similar speeds but Axar is a tad more consistent sticking to one steady line.

At the Motera Stadium, Virat Kohli picked Jadeja over the injured pacer Varun Aaron. However, it was Axar, who got the first preference to bowl after the pacers finished their opening spells. Axar managed to hit the length ball most times, angling the ball in and leaving batsmen in two minds.

Whiz-kid

When Tilakarantne Dilshan looked like he would capitalise on the good start including 18 runs from an R Ashwin over, Axar got one to whiz in with the arm as Dilshan attempted to cut it and was clean-bowled. The 20-year-old local boy’s first two balls were bowled a touch back of length but his third was in place where any batsman would walk right into the danger zone in front of the stumps. Dilshan too had gone back but the ball quickly came in to leave his bails floating. His second wicket of Thisara Perera was one that was quick in the air hitting the pads before hitting the stumps. On paper, Axar finished with 2 for 39 but those two wickets were crucial for the Indians.

However, Jadeja, who came in after a few games’ break, was still looking to find the right length. The Lankans tried to sweep most times using his speed to their advantage and though they didn’t charge him, the visiting batsmen looked comfortable using their feet against the Saurashtra 25-year-old. Angelo Mathews swept Jadeja for three back-to-back boundaries.

Story continues below this ad

So even if it would appear like two similar spinners were operating from opposite ends, they were using the bowling creases quite differently. While Jadeja came closer to the stumps, Axar approached from wide off the crease and proved more effective.

He might still be a rookie in the side but Indian captain Virat Kohli has high words of praise for Axar. He calls him a boy with a big heart with the right temperament to deliver in tight situations for the team. It’s not that India have been looking specifically for left arm spinners, but it just so happens that the two most effective spinners on the scene happen to be left-arm spinners.

Stay updated with the latest sports news across Cricket, Football, Chess, and more. Catch all the action with real-time live cricket score updates and in-depth coverage of ongoing matches.