Finger spin, specifically left-arm finger spin, has troubled India on turning tracks over the years. If used creatively, Axar Patel can be India’s solution with the bat at the World Cup, writes Naman Agarwal.
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India’s troubles against finger spin came to the fore once again in their Super Fours clash against Sri Lanka in Colombo. They suffered two collapses – from 80-0 to 91-3 and from 154-3 to 186-9, and were eventually bowled out for 213. It was the first time in ODI cricket that they lost all ten wickets to spin.
This has been a familiar issue with the Indian batting lineup across formats in the last few years. From the off-spin duo of Nathan Lyon and Todd Murphy in the 2022/23 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, backed by off-spinner Matt Kuhnemann, to left-arm spinners Shakib Al Hasan, Gudakesh Motie, andDunith Wellalage in ODIs, finger spinners have done well against India – and these are merely the recent examples.
With a home World Cup coming up next month, India will have to deal a lot finger spin. In Axar Patel, they might just have the ideal solution for it if they are creative enough.
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This has been a breakthrough year of sorts for Axar the batter. In five Test innings, he has scored 264 runs at an average of 88. In six T20I innings, he has 157 runs at a strike rate of 169. And if you extend the cut-off to 2022, 13 ODI innings have yielded 258 runs at 28.7.
What has propelled Axar’s emergence as a proper batting option has been his game against spin. Using the same cut-offs as above (post-2023 for Tests and T20Is, post-2022 for ODIs), he averages 214 in Tests, 61.5 in ODIs, and strikes at 177 in T20Is against spin. He has come up in leaps and bounds, especially against spin, something that India can try and exploit to make optimal use of the resources they have chosen for the Asia Cup and the World Cup.
Rahul Dravid and Rohit Sharma have not shied away from being flexible with batting orders and tactics. In their Super Fours game against Sri Lanka, they promoted Ishan Kishan to No.4 after KL Rahul had scored an unbeaten century on his comeback at that position just the previous day against Pakistan.
That was done to counter the left-arm spin threat proposed by Wellalage, who had already prised out the wickets of Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli.
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Earlier, in the three-match series in the West Indies, India had promoted Axar to No.4 in the second ODI. They did something similar during the epic India-Pakistan match in the 2022 T20 World Cup as well after suffering an early collapse in their chase. While Axar was unable to make a mark on either of these (he was run out in the latter), it is a strategy India should keep themselves open to going ahead in the Asia Cup and the World Cup.
Axar’s batting can be used in a multitude of ways. He can be promoted to counter an early collapse, effectively elongating the batting line-up. He can be promoted as a pinch-hitter in specific situations, a kind of role Hardik Pandya used to play in his early days.
And just as importantly, he can be promoted as a safeguard against quality spin on turning tracks like the one that was on display in Premadasa during India’s match against Sri Lanka.
Shreyas Iyer‘s persistent back troubles may enable India to use the left-handed Kishan to break the monotony at the World Cup, but that should not necessarily stop them from doubling down and using another in the form of Axar if and when the need arises.
Axar’s place in the XI is dependent on conditions, and he will play only on surfaces that are conducive to spin. But if he does, promoting him as a proactive move will make all the more sense, especially if the opposition has quality spinners, particularly left-arm spinners.
Given India’s batting strength, chopping and changing too much can be difficult, more so at a stage like the World Cup. However, this management has shown a penchant for being flexible with matchups and tactics. Making the best use of Axar’s skills with the bat will be one of the biggest tactical challenges for them heading into the World Cup. Cracking it successfully can go a long way in India’s dash for a second successive home World Cup trophy.
