IND vs WI: Aakash Chopra Questions Skipper Hardik Pandya On Underutilisation Of Axar Patel During The West Indies Tour
Published - 07 Aug 2023, 02:36 PM | Updated - 23 Aug 2024, 12:16 AM
Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra questioned skipper Hardik Pandya for not giving a single over to Axar Patel in the second T20I against the West Indies. Aakash Chopra criticised the strategy of not bowling the left-arm spinner against left-handed batters in the match.
The Men in Blue set a target of 153 runs for the opposition after winning the toss at Providence Stadium in Guyana on Sunday, August 6. The Indian batters once again failed to deliver in the T20 series. The hosts chased down the target by two wickets with seven balls to spare.
We Didn’t Get Axar To Bowl – Aakash Chopra
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra highlighted that left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein troubled left-handed batter Tilak Varma and eventually dismissed him.
“Axar Patel wasn’t given a single over. My question is that if Axar Patel is not going to bowl because you have a left-hander in front of him, then Kyle Mayers comes at the start, then comes Nicholas Pooran, then Shimron Hetmyer and Akeal Hosein in the end, then he will not bowl a single over,” Chopra said.
“Why are you playing him if he is not going to bowl? You didn’t use the sixth bowler at all. A left-armer can bowl against a left-hander. Akeal Hosein showed that by doing it against Tilak Varma and dismissed him as well, but we didn’t get Axar to bowl,” he added.
India used only five bowling options, including Hardik Pandya. Ravi Bishnoi and Yuzvendra Chahal bowled seven overs between them, while Axar Patel didn’t bowl a single delivery in the game.
Axar Only Two Overs In The Last Match – Aakash Chopra
The cricketer-turned-commentator highlighted that Axar Patel hasn’t bowled much in the ongoing West Indies tour despite being picked as an all-rounder in the lineup.
“We gave Axar only two overs in the last match as well and not a single over in this match. He was given two overs in ODIs. Axar Patel is not playing as a batter. There were errors of course.”
“Hardik Pandya did pick up three wickets for sure, they were important. He picked up two wickets in the first over itself – very, very important. Then Rovman Powell was batting very well.
“You dismissed him as well. You did your job but Axar not bowling a single over – it cannot be digested slightly.”
Pandya provided a good start with the ball by picking up two wickets in the first over. The right-arm pacer grabbed three scalps for 35 runs in four overs. Yuzvendra Chahal took two wickets but couldn’t finish his full over quota.
