'We all miss Jadeja, but...': Ex-India cricketer passes no-nonsense verdict on all-rounder's 'quality' replacement
Veteran all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja was ruled out of the recent Asia Cup due to an injury. He will also miss the 2022 edition of the T20 World Cup, beginning next month in Australia.
Stepping into Ravindra Jadeja's shoes by becoming his like-for-like replacement in the Australia series, all-rounder Axar Patel weaved his magic in the series decider at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Sunday. The star all-rounder was the wrecker-in-chief in the third and final T20I of the bilateral series between India and Australia at Hyderabad.
Axar replaced veteran all-rounder Jadeja in the T20I squad after the Indian southpaw was ruled out of the entire Asia Cup due to an injury. Jadeja, a seasoned campaigner of the Rohit Sharma-led side across all formats will also miss the upcoming edition of the ICC World T20. Showering praise on Jadeja's replacement after the conclusion of the Australia series, former Indian cricketer Ajay Jadeja has explained how Axar has grabbed the opportunity with both hands.
"Once Axar Patel had that first game, the kind of quality that he showed, it looked like he had it. He has grabbed the opportunity with both hands. We all miss Ravindra Jadeja, but nobody is missing him from the bowling point of view. Axar Patel has added to the bowling attack, he bats well, it's only fielding where he cannot match him," Jadeja told Cricbuzz.
Axar bagged the crucial wickets of Aaron Finch, Matthew Wade and Josh Inglis in the series decider between India and Australia. The bowling all-rounder bagged three wickets and leaked 33 runs in India's six-wicket win over Australia on Sunday. Axar was also named the Player of the Series for his bowling exploits.
Jadeja also reflected on India's series win over Australia. Under the leadership of Rohit, India have also shattered Pakistan's world record after a thrilling final-over win over Australia on Sunday.
"When you look now, the stability is there, they are sure of the people that they want and sure of how they want to play. That, for me, is a very important aspect going into the World Cup. All of the question marks have been answered. The stability of the team, in terms of mindset, is the biggest positive to come out of this series," Jadeja added.