TO DELAY
Axar Patel was called up to the team as a peer-to-peer replacement for Ravindra Jadeja. © Getty
The injury virus has yet to come out of the Indian test team. Left arm spinner Axar Patel became the latest victim after he was ruled out of the first test against England in Chennai with a knee injury. A BCCI press release stated that the 27-year-old complained of pain in his left knee during the team’s optional practice session on Thursday (February 4).
Shahbaz Nadeem and Rahul Chahar, who have been training with the team as part of the reserve player pool, have been added to the squad.
The inclusion of Axar without limit in the test team may have been seen as a left field decision in some sectors, but it was a concerted move by team management to find a nearly equal replacement for Ravindra Jadeja, who dislocated his thumb. . in Australia.
“The reason was basically to have someone very similar to Jadeja’s skill set, which Axar brings, in all three departments of the game,” Virat Kohli said on the eve of the first test. “That was the reason behind choosing him. That falls squarely in our plans. Because Jaddu was unavailable, Axar was preferred because he brings the same kind of discipline,” Kohli added.
The BCCI medical team will continue to monitor Axar while detailed reports of his injury are not yet obtained.
© Cricbuzz
