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Sanjay Manjrekar feels that Ravindra Jadeja has been relegated as India's third spin-bowling option in the 2024 T20 World Cup. He opined that Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel have piped the seasoned all-rounder in the pecking order so far in the mega T20 event.
Jadeja's performances in the ongoing showpiece event have not been up to the standards. He bowled just one over in the Men in Blue's final Super 8 match against Australia on Monday, June 24. The left-arm spinner conceded 17 runs from the over and was not given another chance to redeem himself.
Opining that Kuldeep and Axar have a lot more to offer compared to Jadeja, here's what Sanjay Manjrekar told ESPNcricinfo:
"I think compared to Axar and Kuldeep Yadav, maybe Jadeja is a little limited in comparison. Axar Patel has those little subtleties, change of angle, pace and what he does. Jadeja is a very disciplined, accurate bowler who will feed off a good pitch, and a batter makes a mistake, he gets you out. Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel have more to offer than Ravindra Jadeja."
Pointing out how Axar seems to be skipper Rohit Sharma's preferred option over Jadeja, the cricketer-turned-commentator added:
"I think India made a commitment to Axar Patel as the first-choice left-arm spinner. So not only with performance that Jadeja has been relegated to number three, that is also about the captain who believes which is the better left-arm spinner for him."
Jadeja has picked up just one wicket from five innings at the 2024 T20 World Cup. He has the worst economy rate (7.80) for an Indian bowler in the ongoing showpiece event.
"His confidence will be right up there" - Sanjay Manjrekar on Axar Patel's impressive spell against Australia
Sanjay Manjrekar stated that Axar Patel will be high on confidence following his tidy spell against Australia. The crafty spinner picked up the crucial wicket of Marcus Stoinis and gave away just 21 runs from three overs.
Axar was also brilliant in the field, taking a spectacular one-handed catch in the boundary to dismiss Mitchell Marsh. Lauding the 30-year-old for his performance, Manjrekar said:
"They've gone to him before Jadeja, the more seasoned and the bigger name. After today's game, his confidence will be right up there. He'll regard this as one of his most important performances. Against the odds, small ground, Australian team where one left-hander was flying right through the innings, excellent economy rate and bowled really well."
India beat Australia by 24 runs in their final Super 8 game. The Men in Blue will now face England in the semi-finals of the 2024 T20 World Cup in Guyana on Thursday, June 27.
