Correspondent, 23 October: Axar Patel, widely recognized as a highly dependable and accurate bowler for the Indian cricket team, is currently battling a slump in form. His struggles were clearly evident during the first T20 match against New Zealand, where his bowling proved to be remarkably expensive. In that encounter, Patel conceded 51 runs across his four overs while managing to secure only a single wicket.
Maintaining an accurate line and length has traditionally been considered Patel's biggest asset in the T20 format. Lately, however, he appears to have lost control over both his bowling pace and precision. Over the 17 T20 matches he has played following the World Cup, he has leaked runs at an average economy rate of 9.1 per over, a noticeable increase from his previous economy rate of 7.7.
A closer look at his recent statistics against various opponents further highlights this costly bowling trend. Patel gave away 11.14 runs per over during his matches against England. This was followed by an economy rate of 12.21 against the West Indies, and most recently, an average of 12.75 runs conceded per over against New Zealand.
These underwhelming figures have sparked significant concern regarding Patel's current bowling form. Given his status as a crucial and experienced member of the squad, the selection committee is now facing a major dilemma and challenge: whether to drop him from the team entirely or provide him with further opportunities to prove his worth.
