Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan feels that Axar Patel is the bowler who is going to trouble premier Australia batter Steve Smith in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Smith is ranked amongst the best Test batters to play the game and he also has a good record in India with 660 runs in 6 matches at a sublime average of 60 which also includes 3 centuries. While many feel the match-up of the series will be Ravichandran Ashwin pitted against Smith but the Pathan feels that it could be Patel who might turn out to be a big threat to the Aussie batter.
The veteran India all-rounder heaped praise on Smith as he called him an Australian legend and suggested that India need a solid plan to get the better of him in the four-match Test series which is crucial for their chances of playing in World Test Championship final.
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“No doubt about that. He is definitely an Australian legend. If you look at Australian history as well, he is up there. He has troubled the Indian bowlers a lot, scored tons of runs. Even though you know that he has got a really solid bottom hand, but still he finds ways to score runs in front of the wickets, on the off and leg side. We need to have a proper plan,” Pathan said on Star Sports.
Pathan, who made his Test debut against Australia in 2003, suggested that with the kind of trajectory Patel possesses, it will be difficult for Smith to tackle him in the Indian conditions.
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“The challenge of Steve Smith will be there for Indian cricket but I think one guy, which I have a great feeling, who can actually have the numbers against him is Axar Patel. If he plays regularly all the matches, the kind of trajectory he has, he can be a big threat to him,” Pathan added.
He further pointed out how Patel can frustrate Smith and get him out lbw and bowled as the Aussie batter relies heavily on his bottom hand.
“The line and length he bowls, the straight ball he bowls, he can bring the lbw or bowled into play against Steve Smith, especially because he uses his bottom hand a lot. A bowler who continuously bowls at the stumps can prove to be an alarm bell against such a player, that is Axar Patel,” said Pathan.
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