"He bowled wicket-taking balls on a pitch that was not unplayable" - Ajit Agarkar lauds Axar Patel's spell

Ajit Agarkar has lauded Axar Patel for bowling wicket-taking deliveries on a slightly docile surface on the fourth day of the first Test between India and Bangladesh in Chattogram on Saturday, December 17.

Axar returned figures of 3/50 in 27 overs as Bangladesh were reduced to 272/6 in pursuit of a 513-run fourth-innings target. The left-arm spinner looked the most threatening among all Indian bowlers and outshone the seasoned Ravichandran Ashwin and the wily Kuldeep Yadav.

During a discussion on Sony Sports, Agarkar was asked about his views on the impeccable line and length bowled by Axar, to which he responded:

"It is because of this Axar Patel has got the success in Test cricket. He showed today, he did get slight spin later on, but he bowled wicket-taking balls on a pitch that was not unplayable."

The former Indian pacer highlighted that the Delhi Capitals spinner was probably not at his best in the last few months, explaining:

"The grouping was maybe not as consistent in the last few months because his length was slightly up and down, probably because of the confidence or rhythm. He came back from a long injury layoff before the IPL."

Axar had a poor T20 World Cup, picking up just three wickets in the five matches he played and proving quite expensive as well. He went wicketless in the first ODI he played against Bangladesh before bouncing back to account for two dismissals in the final game of the series.

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"When there is slight help from the pitch, you don't need to spin the ball much" - Ajay Jadeja on Axar Patel's strength

Axar Patel has an exceptional record with the ball in Test cricket.

Ajay Jadeja pointed out that the Gujarat spinner's accuracy holds him in good stead on spin-friendly surfaces, elaborating:

"Where you have help, what do you need to do, that you keep on bowling in one area and the batters don't get the time to use their feet. The angle Axar Patel generates is natural in any case, which is probably a disadvantage on flat wickets, but when there is slight help from the pitch, you don't need to spin the ball much."

The former Indian skipper added that the angle Axar generates works to his advantage, stating:

"You just need to beat the angle at which the batter brings the bat. In the end, the batter makes a judgment about how much the ball will spin or swing, based on where you release it. So he gets the advantage of that angle when there is slight help from the pitch."

The ongoing Test against Bangladesh is Axar's first away from home. The lanky spinner has scalped 39 wickets at an unbelievable average of 12.43 in the six Tests he has played on home soil.