"He said 'Jaddu might be your first pick but I am equally good'" - Aakash Chopra lauds Axar Patel's performances in IND vs AUS T20Is

Aakash Chopra has lauded Axar Patel for proving that he is equally good as Ravindra Jadeja after the latter was chosen ahead of him for the upcoming T20I series between India and South Africa.

Axar scored 31 runs off 21 deliveries and registered figures of 1/14 in four overs as the Men in Blue beat Australia by six runs in the final T20I in Bengaluru on Sunday. The left-arm spinner picked up six wickets at an excellent economy rate of 6.20 in the five-match series.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra reflected on some of the players who put forth their case for selection in India's T20 World Cup squad with their performances against the Aussies. As for Axar, he said (4:40):

"Axar Patel, in my opinion, because you haven't given him a place in T20Is now. He is not even part of the team for South Africa. Ravindra Jadeja comes back as the vice-captain. The absence of dew in Raipur and Bengaluru helped his (Axar's) cause. He also scored runs in batting."

The former India opener added:

"So his Player of the Match performances in the last two matches will make you think about him, or else you wouldn't even have thought about him, that Ravindra Jadeja is our first pick but Axar is constantly there. He said 'Jaddu might be your first pick but I am equally good'."

Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi and Kuldeep Yadav are the four spinners picked in India's 17-member T20I squad for the South Africa tour. Although Axar has been ignored for the T20Is, he has been included in the Indian squad for the subsequent three-match ODI series.

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"The boy is growing in confidence" - Aakash Chopra lauds Mukesh Kumar's performances

Mukesh Kumar picked up three wickets in the final T20I against Australia. [P/C: AP]

Aakash Chopra also praised Mukesh Kumar for his impressive performances throughout the series. He elaborated (5:20):

"If I see after that - Mukesh Kumar. The boy is growing in confidence. He is now in the team for every format, bowls at different stages, and picks up wickets. If we talk about the Bengaluru game, there also two wickets in two balls, brings India back into the game."

Chopra termed the Bengal seamer as a massive positive for the Men in Blue. He explained:

"If we talk about the first match, he gave only five runs in the last over and was instrumental in India's win. He has been very good whenever he has played and at different stages. So Mukesh Kumar - again gets a huge tick mark."

Mukesh picked up four wickets in as many games against Australia. Although the right-arm seamer was slightly expensive on occasions, conceding an average of 9.12 runs per over, it was primarily because he generally bowled the difficult overs at the death.