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Jadeja and Axar hace never played together in T20Is for India. (Source: BCCI)
In the last T20 World Cup held in 2022, Ravindra Jadeja was unable to participate due to a knee injury. Similarly, Axar Patel suffered an injury before the ODI World Cup last year, preventing him from playing in the tournament. Now, as India prepare for their first match in the ongoing T20 World Cup, both Jadeja and Axar are fit and available for selection.
There is a plausible scenario where both could be included in the playing XI, but let’s consider the situation where India opt to select only one spin-bowling all-rounder. In that case, who would be the preferred choice — Axar or Jadeja?
Based on reputation and experience, Jadeja appears to be the automatic selection. Notably, he served as vice-captain during the three-match T20I series against South Africa in December, a series for which Axar was not included. This marked Jadeja’s return to the T20I team after nearly 18 months. This shows that the 35-year-old played very little T20I cricket in the past two years. The management clearly holds him in high regard, indicating that they see Jadeja as the preferred choice for a major tournament.
Whether that decision is right or wrong, fair or unjust, is a topic for another discussion. However, it’s evident that Jadeja has been given the nod over the in-form Axar Patel. It wouldn’t be surprising if Jadeja once again delivers a stellar performance. But the question remains: who truly deserves to make the playing XI?
Current form is a crucial factor in selection. Both Jadeja and Axar have been performing well, with Jadeja excelling in both the IPL and international cricket, while Axar has impressed with his bowling. In IPL 2024, Jadeja scored 267 runs at an average of 44.5 and a strike rate of 142.02, outperforming Axar, who scored 235 runs at an average of 29.38 and a strike rate of 131.28. However, Axar was more effective with the ball, taking 11 wickets at an average of 30.64, compared to Jadeja’s 8 wickets at an average of 46.12. Both players had a significant all-round impact in the IPL.
That was the IPL, held in India. The conditions for the T20 World Cup will be different, as India will play their four group matches in the US: three in New York and one in Florida. There’s very little information about the pitch conditions at these venues. Assuming the pitch turns, Jadeja would be the better option. Given his current form and experience, it’s easy to see why the management views him as an integral part of the starting XI on tracks where finger-spin will prove to be king, despite his lack of games in the shortest format. In terms of bowling, Jadeja is a natural choice for the Indian XI, as he is superior to Axar, even considering Axar’s current form.
Sometimes, he fares well with the bat and wins matches; other times he consumes many balls and leaves everyone disappointed. Axar is not a swashbuckling batter either, and his performances in this year’s IPL showed that. He’s not a big turner of the ball, but on flat wickets, he can be a better option than Jadeja. Axar’s strength lies in bowling tight lines, making him effective when the fields are up in the powerplay. His height also allows him to extract extra bounce from pitches.
Again, there’s very little to separate the two. Deciding between Jadeja and Axar is a challenging and close call. If the pitches are expected to favour spin, including both Jadeja and Axar could be a strategic advantage. However, if only one can be selected, the decision would depend on the specific match-ups and opposition. At this stage, it’s difficult to predict who will start between Axar and Jadeja.
India’s performance in the death overs could be a potential weakness in this World Cup. Both designated finishers, Hardik Pandya and Jadeja, were inconsistent in this role during the recent IPL season. Pandya, in particular, struggled, scoring only 50 runs in the death overs and registering the lowest batting average in this phase for IPL 2024. Jadeja also had several underwhelming performances during the death overs, while Axar had the lowest strike-rate in the last five overs of the competition.
Rinku Singh is not there, so this problem with the death overs will force the team management to play both of them as it’ll strengthen the lower middle order. As we mentioned earlier, there’s a realistic chance of both playing together, which hasn’t happened in T20Is to date, but could very well happen in this year’s T20 World Cup. How the team will accommodate both, given that Kuldeep Yadav is the first-choice spinner, will be interesting to see. The decision-making process for Rahul Dravid and Rohit Sharma will be far from easy.
The post Jadeja or Axar or both? Decoding India’s Best XI for T20 World Cup 2024 appeared first on Sports News Portal | Latest Sports Articles | Revsports.
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[[{“value”:”In the last T20 World Cup held in 2022, Ravindra Jadeja was unable to participate due to a knee injury. Similarly, Axar Patel suffered an injury before the ODI World…
The post Jadeja or Axar or both? Decoding India’s Best XI for T20 World Cup 2024 appeared first on Sports News Portal | Latest Sports Articles | Revsports.”}]]
