“Ashwin and Jadeja have both bowled really well” - Rohit Sharma explains why Axar Patel has been under-bowled in first two Tests

Team India captain Rohit Sharma has stated that Axar Patel has not bowled a lot in the first two Tests because Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin have done really well. He opined that when a team plays three spinners, the third one is often under-bowled and there is nothing much that can be done about it.

Jadeja and Ashwin are the top two leading wicket-takers in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia. While the left-arm spinner has claimed 17 wickets, the off-spinner has 14 scalps to his name. In contrast, Axar has only one wicket from 26 overs in two Test matches.

While Axar hasn’t had much to do with the ball, he has notched up crucial half-centuries in both Tests. As a result, he is likely to retain his place in the playing XI for the Indore Test.

At a press conference on Tuesday, February 28, Rohit opened up on Axar not bowling a lot in the first two Tests. He explained:

“Ashwin and Jadeja have both bowled really well, so I have to continue to make them bowl them as much as possible.

“If you have three spinners, you know that the third spinner is always under-bowled. It’s been Axar in these two Test matches. You never know who the guy will be in the next two Test matches.

“If guys are getting wickets from both sides, you’ve got to continue to bowl them. That’s how it is. You can’t really do too much."

Axar is the second-highest run-getter in the Test series against Australia. In two matches, he has notched up 158 runs at an average of 79.00.

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“It comes very naturally to Jadeja” - Rohit Sharma on left-arm spinner finishing his overs quickly

Apart from picking up a bagful of wickets, Ravindra Jadeja is also known for bowling his overs very quickly, giving the batters very little time to settle in. Rohit Sharma asserted that the trait is something very natural for the all-rounder. He commented:

“It comes very naturally to Jadeja. By the time you are walking back to your field, he is already ready to bowl the next ball. Sometimes it is difficult for me to adjust the field. If I want to push a guy a couple of yards behind, this guy is already on the run-up to bowl.”

Rohit added that the southpaw keeps the batters on their toes by going through his overs quickly. He elaborated:

“When you are trying to gather your thoughts, the last thing you want as an opposition is to give them enough time to think about what they want to do out in the middle. Those are little tactical parts of the game that you always need to think about.

W“hen the new batter walks in, guys need to be ready in their positions. The bowler needs to be ready with the ball in hand and not give them enough time to talk in between.”

Jadeja has been the Player of the Match in both Nagpur and Delhi. The third Test begins in Indore on March 1.