"Easily best left-arm spinner in India"- Fans heap praise on Axar Patel after his sensational spell against Australia in 2nd T20I

Left-arm spinner Axar Patel (2/13) received plaudits from fans after his phenomenal spell against Australia in the second T20I on Friday, September 23, in Nagpur. Axar gave India an ideal start after the Men in Blue asked the opponents to bat first in the game, which was reduced to eight overs per side.

The lanky spinner cleaned up big hitters Glenn Maxwell (0) and Tim David (two) during a two-over spell and dented the Australian innings. However, the rest of the Indian bowlers did not back his efforts as all the other four conceded more than 10 runs per over.

Australia managed to post 90/5 in eight overs as a result. Matthew Wade (43* off 20 balls) once again proved to be the chief nemesis of the Indian bowling attack.

Fans took note of the proceedings and heaped praise on Axar for bowling craftily and picking up crucial wickets without much support from other bowlers.

Here are some of the best reactions on Twitter in this regard:

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"I am being given more responsibility with the bat" - Axar Patel on his role in T20 cricket post-IPL 2022

Speaking to host broadcasters ahead of the second T20I against Australia, Axar opened up about his role as a lower-order batter for the Indian team in the T20 format over the past year.

He acknowledged that finishing a couple of games for Delhi Capitals in IPL 2022 gave him a much-needed confidence boost to take his batting to the next level. The all-rounder said:

"I am being given more responsibility with the bat. For Delhi Capitals, I was batting at No. 6 in the finisher’s role. Ricky told me that I would be the finisher in the team.

"After being given that responsibility, I started working harder in the nets to prepare for the role. Once you are able to finish a couple of games, your confidence goes up. I think that is improving my batting."

He added:

"I wasn’t getting wickets in the IPL, but I was doing well with the bat, so I carried that confidence into my bowling. Even though I wasn’t getting wickets, I was able to bowl in the areas that I wanted to, which is very important in T20 cricket."

Axar's success in the series has overshadowed Ravindra Jadeja's absence. Jadeja is currently out injured with a knee injury. With his ability to bowl tightly and contribute runs down the order, Axar is uncannily similar to the veteran Indian all-rounder.

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