Axar Patel’s batting has been a revelation for quite some. Everyone knew about his ability as a bowler but it was his lower-order batting which has caught the eye and has to some extent made up for the absence of Ravindra Jadeja in white-ball cricket.
Indian batting coach Vikram Rathour said that the team management always believed that Axar had potential with the bat and it gave an extra option for the team.
“He is really batting well at the moment. We always believed he had a lot of potential with his batting…the kind of all-rounders we have, three guys can bat really well. Washington Sundar, Axar Patel and I am sure Ravindra Jadeja will be back soon. It is great as a team it gives us extra options,’‘ Rathour said.
In the third ODI against Sri Lanka, Rathour said it was another opportunity for the team to iron out the grey areas and he also chose to put to rest the speculation on coach Dravid’s health saying the former Indian player was with the team.
“We have won the series but there are still certain grey areas where we would like to get better and tomorrow’s match will be one more opportunity to resolve that,’‘ he said.
Sri Lankan coach Chris Silverwood said his team needed to replicate the way India exploited the conditions in its favour and the bowlers needed to put pressure on the Indian batters. The Englishman said his team will be looking for a win. As a former fast bowler, Silverwoods said he was impressed with Umran Malik.
“I do enjoy seeing fast bowlers in action. I am impressed with the areas he bowled and he hit the length hard and got bounce. There is a lot to learn for us from the way he bowled in this series,’‘ said Silverwood. The Lankan coach was also impressed by the progress shown by young players like Nuwanidu Fernando and Dunith Wellage on this tour.
