Legendary Indian cricketer, Sunil Gavaskar was seen showering praises at the Indian all-rounder, Axar Patel, saying he has been batting cleverly against Australia at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi. Axar has already surpassed the 50-run mark in India’s second Test of the four-match Border-Gavaskar series. Speaking to Star Sports at Tea on Day 2, Gavaskar said both Ravichandran Ashwin and Axar looked to move the strike regularly amongst them and not let the scoreboard settle.
Sunil Gavaskar explained, “What they’ve showed with this partnership is that they’re looking to score runs. The way Ashwin played that shot, he is pushing the ball nicely. So he is looking to move the strike along.”
The batting legend explained that Axar has been positive and batted in quite cleverly, adding that India has to reduce Australia’s lead.
WATCH – Indian Fans Shouted ‘Sandpaper’ To Australian Player Standing Near Boundary
Elaborating the same, Sunil Gavaskar said, “Axar Patel has been very positive, understanding that the left-arm spinner’s ball is turning against him, so if he connects it’s going to go for a six. Clever batting from Axar Patel and that is what India will need after tea. It is important for India to reduce the lead. Australia will maybe end with some lead but India will be looking to keep it as low as possible.”
Axar Patel scored a half-century to get India back in the game after Nathan Lyon picked up a five-wicket haul and helped the hosts to come back in the game. Lyon dismissed KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara, Shreyas Iyer, and KS Bharat to complete his five-wicket haul. Virat Kohli looked good and was surely expected to score his 29th half-century at his home ground but was undone by debutant Matthew Kuhnemann.
ALSO READ: Ravindra Jadeja Ended Up Hugging Steve Smith While Completing A Run
Interestingly, this is the fourth time an Australian debutant has got the wicket of Kohli, with Todd Murphy, Glenn Maxwell, and Josh Hazlewood dismissing Kohli on their debuts in the past. After Kohli’s dismissal, Axar and Ashwin’s partnership helped India reduce Australia’s lead ad they look to bat their way through Day 2 in Delhi.
