I Think Shardul Thakur Will Take Axar Patel’s Place - Dinesh Karthik Snubs In-form All-Rounder For Additional Option

Dinesh Karthik, a veteran wicketkeeper-batter of the Indian cricket team, believes that Axar Patel may not be included in the playing XI of India in the World Test Championship final against Australia at the Oval in London. 

India secured their spot in the WTC final for the second consecutive season after defeating Australia 2-1 in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, in which Axar played a significant role with the bat. 

Despite scoring 264 runs in four matches and being the third-highest run-scorer in the series, he did not perform as well with the ball as his spin partners Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, who claimed 25 and 22 wickets respectively, while Axar managed only three wickets.

Dinesh Karthik Makes His Pick Between Axar Patel and Shardul Thakur

In a Cricbuzz discussion, Dinesh Karthik expressed his belief that pacer Shardul Thakur should be preferred over spin-bowling all-rounder Axar Patel in India’s World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia. He also noted that if Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja are available for selection, Axar may not make it to the playing XI.

“If Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja are fit, Axar Patel will have to miss out. I think Shardul Thakur will take his place. If I have to be very honest, India made a mistake last time by playing both spinners, and they didn’t bowl that much. It’s a one-off game and you can’t look at it in the bigger scheme of things.

“You have to go into the game saying what is my best XI to win that game? If that means leaving one of Jadeja and Ashwin out, so be it.”

Despite his preference for Shardul Thakur over Axar Patel, Dinesh Karthik also proposed the idea of India playing with only one spinner in the WTC final against Australia, given the conditions in England that are more conducive to seam bowling. He suggested that Rohit Sharma and the team management should take this into consideration.

Despite their excellent performances in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia, where they took 25 and 22 wickets respectively, either Ravichandran Ashwin or Ravindra Jadeja may have to be left out of the playing XI for the WTC 2023 final.

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