Former Indian cricketer Irfan Pathan compared the role of Axar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja in the Indian team for the T20 World Cup 2024. He said that the Delhi Capitals all-rounder has given more stability to the team than Jadeja.
So far, Axar Patel has proven to be a vital cog for the Indian team in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024. Not just with the ball, but the all-rounder has been extremely good for India with the bat in the tournament. helping the team reach the Super 8 stage of the tournament.
Axar Patel has attacked wickets at crucial moments in the game. The all-rounder has picked three wickets from as many games with an average of 13 and an economy of 6.50. He has been extremely economical and also bowled a sensational 16th against Pakistan, tilting the game in his team’s favour.
Axar Patel only got one chance with the bat but he played a decent role. The all-rounder moved up the order and played vital innings, scoring 20 runs off 18 balls. He steadied the innings after the team lost two early wickets and played some accurate shots.
On the other hand, Ravindra Jadeja has hardly played any role with bat and ball in the tournament so far. He got out for a golden duck against Pakistan and has bowled just three overs in as many wicketless matches at an economy rate of 6.50. He also did not achieve any victory against the United States.
Comparing Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel, Irfan Pathan stated that the latter has more reach and the team has more freedom with him. He also believes Patel has provided more stability than Jadeja. Speaking to Star Sports, he explained:
“If you compare Jadeja with Patel, as far as batting ability is concerned, Axar Patel has more range. India needs to take advantage of that advantage, since he came, the Indian team has been given freedom, we have Axar Patel, okay , “I have Axar Patel in the batting department, who can bat at number eight and can even bat at number four if the team requires it too. So the stability provided by Axar Patel has been given to the Indian team much more than Ravindra Jadeja.”
Axar Patel has been his favorite all-rounder – Sanjay Manjrekar
Sanjay Manjrekar, who was also present during the discussion, pointed out that India have not used Ravindra Jadeja much with the ball as Axar Patel has been their trusted man. He pointed out that Patel has more support than Jadeja from the management. He explained:
“Interestingly Jadeja, India haven’t bowled him much. Axar Patel has been their all-rounder, even when they needed to promote someone to number four against Pakistan, they picked Axar Patel. It’s interesting how the all-rounder’s handling shows that the management of “This team supports bowling all-rounder Axar Patel more than Jadeja,” he concluded.
