Asia Cup 2022: "He did whatever was asked out of him" - Parthiv Patel feels Axar Patel should have been in the squad instead of Ashwin

Former Indian cricketer Parthiv Patel feels all-rounder Axar Patel should have made it into Team India's 15-member squad for the Asia Cup. The 28-year-old had an impressive tour of the West Indies, especially with the bat.

Patel reckons off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin's selection was perhaps not needed as the Men in Blue have Deepak Hooda as an off-spinning option. He added that Axar Patel could have helped cover for Ravindra Jadeja, who has experienced a few fitness issues recently.

Speaking in a video on his YouTube channel, here's what Parthiv Patel had to say about India's all-round options in the spin department:

"Another surprising exclusion for me was that of Axar Patel. He has delivered for the team whenever they wanted and did whatever was asked out of him."

The former cricketer added:

"I think they tried Ashwin at the last World Cup and if they need off-spin in Australia then they have the option of Hooda. So, as a backup for Jadeja, Axar should have been picked."

Parthiv Patel was also a bit confused to see the Men in Blue pick as many as four spinners and just three fast bowlers in their 15-man squad. On this, he added:

"India has gone in with four spinners, which is a bit surprising given the conditions in the UAE. They have chosen just three seamers, which I feel is one short. They should have gone with three spinners and four seamers as we saw when IPL was played here that the pacers got a bit of help."

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Parthiv Patel on India's possible bowling attack

Parthiv Patel believes Team India will start off with the trusted spin duo of Ravindra Jadeja and Yuzvendra Chahal. If they want to play a third spinner but also deepen their batting due to the absence of Harshal Patel, he opined that Deepak Hooda could make the XI.

On this, Patel stated:

"Indian team management might play all the three pacers in the squad. But it also means that they have shown a lot of faith in Hardik Pandya's bowling. They believe he can bowl four overs."

He concluded:

"If they want to go in with just two seamers with Hardik as third option, then instead of the third seamer they can play Deepak Hooda to deepen their batting. He can give a bit of off-spin too. If they need an out-and-out bowler, then they can play Ashwin."

India will kick off their Asia Cup 2022 campaign against Pakistan on August 28.

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