Former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar has expressed his disappointment over the underutilization of all-rounder Axar Patel in the first two T20I matches against South Africa. Despite playing Axar as the third spinner alongside Varun Chakravarthy and Ravi Bishnoi, the Indian team management has failed to utilize his skills effectively.
In the second game of the series, Axar bowled just one over despite the pitch offering assistance to spinners. Manjrekar believes this was a glaring mistake by captain Suryakumar Yadav. “What are we doing with Axar Patel? Why are you playing him? Give a little clarity. Axar Patel, one over in Kingsmead, Durban, and here also just one over. On a pitch where six of the seven wickets were picked up by spinners, he bowled just one over,” Manjrekar said.
Manjrekar emphasized that Axar’s underutilization is a waste of a valuable resource. “In my opinion, he is being underutilized as a resource. We are saying that you are playing three spinners, but you are unable to play them properly. I am not thinking much about the batting failure, but not bowling Axar Patel was an obvious mistake on Surya’s part,” he added.
Akaash Chopra also highlighted the fact that Tristan Stubbs struggled against spinners, and a few more overs from Axar could have made a difference for India. “That was a thing that stood out here as Tristan Stubbs, who played well, wasn’t able to pick length properly at the start. He was going back against full deliveries. He is a quality player and he showed in the end how and why, but Gerald Coetzee came as an out-of-syllabus question, and I feel he will get one-and-a-half to two crores extra in the auction because he also hit sixes,” Chopra said.
Despite Varun Chakravarthy’s impressive five-wicket haul, South Africa managed to snatch a three-wicket victory, leveling the series at 1-1. The Proteas’ victory halted India’s 11-match winning streak, but it was not without its share of drama.
India struggled to a modest total of 124 for six on a bouncy pitch, while South Africa collapsed to 66 for six and 86 for seven. However, Stubbs and Coetzee’s valiant partnership of 42 runs for the eighth wicket guided South Africa to victory.
