IND vs SL: “These are critical games for him” – Dinesh Karthik on Axar Patel

Dinesh Karthik has hailed Axar Patel for his all-around performance in the second T20I against Sri Lanka at the MCA Stadium in Pune on Thursday, January 5. He believes that such performances can help him confirm his berth in the Indian squad for the 2023 50-over World Cup.

For the uninitiated, the all-rounder finished with figures of 2/24. He then produced a stellar 65 off 31 balls while chasing 206. The southpaw’s innings comprised six maximums and three boundaries, which kept India in contention until he got out in the last over.

Speaking on Cricbuzz, Karthik said:

“Axar Patel needs to step up and find a place in the XI, find a place in that World Cup 2023 squad. These are the kind of knocks that’s gonna be etched in everybody’s mind. These are critical games for him.”

He continued:

“We’ve always associated Axar with playing cameos and he’s done it in the past. This one took a lot of mental fortitude because they were literally dead and buried.”

It's worth mentioning that Axar defended 13 runs in the last over of the first T20I against Sri Lanka, which India won by two runs.

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“That was exhilarating to watch” – Dinesh Karthik on Suryakumar Yadav’s quickfire fifty

Karthik, meanwhile, felt that Suryakumar Kumar didn’t find his touch in the second T20I. He, however, hailed him for taking on Sri Lanka spinner Wanindu Hasaranga. The right-hander scored 11 runs off five balls bowled by the spinner, including a six.

He said:

“To be fair, Surya wasn’t his usual self. He wasn’t having the momentum that was required as well but for him to play that kind of knock that he played take on his matchup. He took Hasaranga to the sword today. That was exhilarating to watch.”

Suryakumar Yadav scored 51 off 36 balls, including three sixes and as many boundaries. He shared an entertaining 91-run partnership with Axar Patel for the sixth wicket to help Team India bounce back in the contest. Unfortunately, the Mumbai batter departed with 4.1 overs left in the game.

With a 16-run win against Hardik Pandya and Co., Dasun Shanaka-led Sri Lanka have tied the three-match T20I series 1-1. The two teams will next lock horns in the series decider at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Rajkot on Saturday, January 7.