IND vs BAN: "Axar Patel Is Not On Par With Ravindra Jadeja And Ravichandran Ashwin" - Salman Butt

Former Pakistan captain Salman Butt believes that Indian left-arm spinner Axar Patel is not on par with Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin. Salman Butt highlighted that Axar Patel didn’t turn the ball despite favourable conditions against Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup 2023.

Axar Patel replaced Shardul Thakur in India’s playing XI as the conditions were favourable to spinners in Colombo on Tuesday, September 12. The left-arm spinner failed to trouble the Sri Lankan batters. He failed to pick up a single wicket in his five overs and gave 29 runs.

Axar Patel Didn’t Get Any Turn – Salman Butt

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Salman Butt highlighted that Axar Patel provides valuable runs with the bat in the lower order, but he needs to improve his bowling.

“When you see Axar Patel’s bowling, he is not on par with Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin. No doubt his batting is quite good, but if he didn’t get any turn on this wicket, where will he?

There was so much turn on offer that even Charith Asalanka picked up four wickets. However, Axar Patel didn’t get any turn, which is a matter of concern,” Butt said.

Patel scored 26 runs off 36 balls to help the team reach a competitive 213-run total against Sri Lanka in the Super Four match. The left-handed batter added a 27-run partnership with Mohammed Siraj for the final wicket.

Kuldeep And Jadeja Have Very Good Releases – Salman Butt

Salman Butt praised Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja for their bowling performances in the middle overs, noting that their strong releases allowed them to generate a lot of turn.

“Kuldeep Yadav gives the ball air. Both Kuldeep and Jadeja have very good releases, which is why there is a lot of rip. Our bowlers push the ball towards the batters instead of giving the ball air and revs. They bowl at a flatter trajectory. Yes, Jadeja also bowls flat, but he gets rip,” he concluded.

Kuldeep and Jadeja shared six wickets between them and helped India defend a small total. Kuldeep ran through Sri Lanka’s middle-order batters, registering bowling figures of 4/43 in his 9.3 overs. The Indian bowlers bundled the opposition for 172 runs in 41.3 overs.

The Rohit Sharma-led team will take on Bangladesh at the R. Premadasa Stadium on Friday, September 15. The team management might consider trying out their bench strength against Bangladesh, as they have already sealed their berth in the final of the tournament.

Also read: IND vs PAK: Muttiah Muralitharan Prefers Ravichandran Ashwin Over Axar Patel, Says ‘He Is One Of The Best Bowlers In The World’