'A batsman with 2 first-ball ducks…': Jadeja's strong out-of-the-box take on 'Axar ahead of Surya' theory
Ajay Jadeja was asked by a fan whether promoting Axar ahead of Suryakumar could be the way forward, an idea he outrightly refused.
For all his exploits in T20 cricket, Suryakumar Yadav has so far failed to crack the ODI code. The cracks in SKY's reading of the 50-overs format have widened even further following back-to-back golden ducks to identical dismissals off the same bowler against Australia in the first two ODIs. In Mumbai and Vizag, on both occasions, Suryakumar had no answer against the menacing pace and vicious pace of Mitchell Starc. However, amid India's implosion in Vizag, one man that was left stranded was Axar Patel, the revelation of the series. Axar, who has already been the thorn in Australia's eyes, was unbeaten on 29 as India were bundled out for 117.
Going by current form, former India batter Ajay Jadeja was asked by a fan whether promoting Axar ahead of Suryakumar could be the way forward, an idea he outrightly refused. The former India star feels that if the team lands in early trouble again with two wickets going down quickly, there will certainly be a chance in the batting order, but it won't involve Axar irrespective of the stunning form he is in.
"If an early wicket goes down, you may see a batting promotion but it won't be Axar Patel. It is easy for us to say, but the man running the show has to handle a lot - look after the players and take in certain pressures. At max, we will see one change. If India go 20/2 again, I have no doubt that the management and the captain, KL Rahul will come at 4 and Suryakumar Yadav at 5. No doubt Axar Patel has been playing well - he is probably batting the best - but sending him ahead of Hardik Pandya? Don't think that is going to happen," Jadeja said on Cricbuzz.
The current regimen under Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid believes in giving the Indian players a long run. Suryakumar is playing in the XI because of an injury to Shreyas Iyer. Heck, had Iyer not hurt his back again, in all probability Suryakumar would not have even made it to the ODI XI. That's just how things work. Hence, sticking by the same ideology, Jadeja reckons demoting a batter when he's already battling form is surely not what the player needs when he's down.
"For many years, there have been batters playing ahead and that will continue. A batter who has gotten 2 ducks, if you push him down, it will hurt his confidence. But like I said, if an early wicket falls, you will see KL Rahul ahead because earlier when he wasn't in form, he was dropped from the Test playing XI, and now that he has, he will get a chance," he pointed out.
