Aus vs India: Axar Patel Shines in Fourth T20I
Spinners dominated the game after India's batting reshuffle failed to click at Carrara Oval, Queensland. Axar Patel is emerging as the new Ravindra Jadeja of Indian cricket. Despite losing the T20I vice-captaincy to Shubman Gill ahead of the Asia Cup, Axar proved his value under tough conditions.
He was named Player of the Match in the fourth T20I between India and Australia on Thursday, contributing an unbeaten 21 runs off 11 balls that helped India pass the 150-run mark. With the ball, Axar took 2 wickets for 20 runs. Alongside Washington Sundar and Varun Chakravarthy, who also performed well in spin-friendly conditions, they restricted Australia to 48 runs short of their 168-run target.
India leads the series 2-1 after four matches, with the first match abandoned due to rain. The T20I world champions can seal the series in the final in Brisbane on Saturday.
Tweaks to Batting Order Falter
The Men in Blue struggled to find their usual rhythm in the last three games. Shubman Gill struggled in his new role as T20 opening partner to Abhishek Sharma, who maintained his aggressive form from the Asia Cup. The revamped batting lineup, with only openers kept constant, did not succeed on Thursday.
Both Shivam Dube, promoted to number three, and Tilak Verma, down to number five, failed to perform on the slow pitch.
"Axar Patel is turning out to be the new Ravindra Jadeja of Indian cricket."
"Axar’s unbeaten 21 off 11 balls helped India cross the 150-mark."
Author's summary: Axar Patel showcased his allround skills to guide India to a crucial win, while India's batting experiments faced challenges on a slow Carrara Oval track.