Does underutilized Axar Patel come out for Arshdeep Singh or Rinku Singh in Hobart?

The approach of all-rounders rather than batters or bowlers doesn’t seem to work very well for India in Australia. The visitors played two all-rounders in Melbourne, but neither warranted selection. Axar Patel batted at number 5 and scored 7 (12). Shivam Dube got a delayed entry to ensure he goes big, but the move failed, 4 (2). Neither bowled a delivery in the match.

Why Axar Patel could be dropped

In favorable conditions, like in Asia, playing versatile players works. This is because both Axar and Shivam are great players of spin. In Axar’s case, he is also an exceptional spinner, and such surfaces help him. In the ODI series, Axar showed that he can be a handful even in Australia, but the left-arm spinner was not used with the ball by Suryakumar Yadav and Gautam Gambhir at the MCG.

So we wonder if the compromise is worth it. Even the best hitters found it difficult to bat in Australia, so how can we expect Axar to succeed? And when he is not expected to bowl, is there much point in bowling him? You may be wondering why not let Dubé go?

Well, he is a bowling all-rounder. Considering how bouncy the Australian pitches are, a great bowler like him can come in handy. The inclusion of Kuldeep Yadav and Varun Chakaravarthy also plays a role in Axar’s exclusion. So, suppose he comes out; who comes to get him?

One of Rinku Singh and Arshdeep Singh to play?

There are only 2 options. Arshdeep Singh and Rinku Singh. Nitish Kumar Reddy is not in good form. Jitesh Sharma doesn’t get the nod because Rinku is left-handed, and we know how much Gambhir likes the right-left combination. Moreover, Sanju Samson is already playing as a wicketkeeper. Calling Washington Sundar for Axar makes no sense.

Now, who should Arshdeep or Rinku choose? This could be a matter of preference. Since the batting didn’t work in Melbourne, you might think about bringing Rinku. But the bowling, especially the pacers, wasn’t great either. There will be a compromise again. We have seen Gambhir move more towards batting depth, and hence, Rinku could play, but Arshdeep has an equally strong case to make.

Indian T20I squad for Australia series

Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill (vc), Suryakumar Yadav (c), Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson (wk), Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy

Bench: Arshdeep Singh, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Jitesh Sharma (week), Rinku Singh, Washington Sundar