Former Indian cricketer and commentator Saba Karim has heaped praise on the Indian all-rounders Axar Patel and Washington Sundar for doing exceptionally well in the first ODI against England at Edgbaston on Tuesday, July 15.
Speaking to JioStar, Saba Karim has lauded Axar Patel, who scalped four wickets with the ball in hand and scored an unbeaten half-century with the willow in the 259-run chase as he helped India to a six-wicket win over the hosts.
“Axar Patel rediscovered his form. Washington Sundar has proved himself in many ways. Whenever he has gotten chances, he has added value in his own way. However, this knock has come at the right time for Axar Patel. He wasn’t performing like this in T20s,” Saba Karim told JioStar.
“It was expected that he would perform, and when the right time came, when the pressure mounted on him, he scored runs. I also liked the way he showed aggression. He soaked in the pressure a little. He took his time for the first 10 balls, and then when he hit two big shots in a spinner’s over, his confidence increased after that,” he added.
In the first ODI, England posted a mediocre total of 258 in 47.5 overs after opting to bat first. All-rounder Axar Patel racked up a four-wicket haul. In the chase, India sealed the deal in 45.2 overs with six wickets in hand. Shubman Gill (80), Washington Sundar (52*), and Axar Patel (57*) were the top batters.
“This happens many times for an all-rounder. If you bowl well, you benefit from that in batting as well. That was seen in Axar Patel’s batting today. We expect this maturity to be seen every time because he has that experience now. Until Axar Patel takes ownership like this, it will be very difficult to get such performances. So, finally, the maturity and experience worked for Axar Patel today,” he said.
“His setup is so easy. He doesn’t have to work too hard to score runs. He is technically extremely sound. He can score runs on different kinds of wickets. He benefits from the right technique against the pace bowlers, and if you have this kind of aggression against spinners, you should benefit even more from that,” he concluded.
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