Sunil Gavaskar says Axar Patel isn’t the next big thing for Tests

Sunil Gavaskar says Axar Patel isn’t the next big thing for Tests:

Being as direct as he could possibly be, Indian batting legend Sunil Gavaskar on Thursday said that left arm spinner Axar Patel was not Test match material and could not be considered as a specialist spinner in Test cricket because he does not turn the ball.

“No, Axar Patel is not an alternative spinner India should be looking for. He just rolls the ball, he does not have the flight and his deliveries are very much predictable. He does not turn the ball unless the pitch is favourable. He is slightly slower than medium pace,” Gavaskar said when asked whether the youngster can do well for the country in tests. Categorizing him as at best “a roller of the ball” the little master said he was predictable and that could go against him at the highest level.

After the declaration of the Test squad to tour Sri Lanka, and the inclusion veteran spinners Bhajji and Mishra, many are pointing out at the lack of spinners in the Indian domestic circuit. It is pretty surprising to see no young spinner knocking on the doors with some force.

Patel has played 18 ODIs and 2 T20 Internationals after making his international debut last year. He has so far taken 23 wickets in his 18 ODIs at an average of 26.60 and economy rate of 4.59. He took two wickets in as many matches in the ODI series against Bangladesh last month and five scalps in three games in the just-concluded ODI games in Zimbabwe. The former captain rued that India has not produced many quality bowlers in the last few years and he partly blamed the pitches offered in the Ranji Trophy for this.

“For the past few years, we have struggled to find quality spinners. One reason could be the kind of pitches we are offering for Ranji Trophy matches. We leave a lot of grass on these Ranji pitches and that does not help quality spinners come through,” he said.

“We need to make these pitches level playing for both bat and ball. There may be grass but not a lot of grass. Early in the game, the spinners should be able to use their flight and drop the flight on the second and third days. We should prepare pitches like this,” he added.

Those who know Indian cricket inside out will tell you how some of the most talented spinners in the country missed out on the opportunity to play at the highest level because of the problem of plenty. BCCI’s focus on fast pitches over the last two seasons has also hindered their growth somewhat. But you can not fault the board for that. They are clearly concerned about the side’s dismal showing when they cross the subcontinent shores.

Gavaskar praised Virat Kohli’s decision to play the India ‘A’ match in Chennai ahead of the Sri Lanka series next month. “It’s a very good call on the part of Virat. He has not played much cricket in the last 2-3 weeks. His form was also not that good in Bangladesh for his standard. If he scores big in India A match, he can go with confidence in Sri Lanka,” said Gavaskar.