India will meet Australia in the first test match on February 9© BCCI
The Border-Gavaskar Trophy between India and Australia kicks off on February 9 and the only player unanimously considered a threat to the hosts was Steve Smith. Multiple pundits chose him to harass the Indian bowlers and even hinted that he might be the series of Rohit Sharma & Co. can take over. Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin praised Smith’s performances against India, but chose the Indian bowler whose turn it was to dismiss him. Ashwin explained that Axar Patel is the bowler whose trajectory and consistent line of bowling both Smith can be huge.
“The challenge from Steve Smith will be there for Indian cricket, but I think a man I feel good about who can put the numbers against him is Axar Patel. If he plays all the matches regularly, it will be kind of trajectory he has, he can be a big threat to him,” Pathan said on Star Sports.
“The line and length he bowls, the straight ball he bowls, he can bring the lbw or bowling into play against Steve Smith, especially as he uses his bottom hand a lot. A bowler who bowls continuously at the stumps can sound the alarm against such a player who is Axar Patel.”
Smith is currently the only player on the Australian squad to average above 60 in Indian conditions and Ashwin made it clear that India needs a proper plan to keep him in check.
“There’s no doubt about that. He’s definitely an Australian legend. If you look at Australian history too, he’s on top. He’s given Indian bowlers a lot of trouble, scored countless runs. Even though you know he’s got a really solid bottom hand, but still he finds ways to score runs for the wickets, on the off and leg side. We have to have a good plan,” said Pathan.
Featured video of the day
Sports Budget sees big jump in India
Topics mentioned in this article