The Men in Blue went down to Sri Lanka by 16 runs in the second game of the three-match series. Chasing 207, India were held in 190/8. Axar, however, shone with both the ball and bat. After claiming 2/24 in his four overs, he smacked 65 off only 31 deliveries to give the hosts faint hopes of victory after a disastrous start.
Jaffer was all praise for the Gujarat cricketer in spite of India’s loss. During a discussion on ESPNcricinfo, he said:
Axar clubbed three fours and six sixes in his blazing knock and added 91 for the sixth wicket with Suryakumar Yadav (51 off 36) as India fought back after losing five wickets for 57 runs.
“At the moment, yes” - Jaffer on whether Axar is India’s No.1 spin all-rounder
Asked if he feels Axar is presently India’s best all-rounder in Jadeja’s absence, Jaffer nodded in agreement. He also pointed out that the 28-year-old is good at bowling in the powerplay, a skill that he feels Jadeja lacks. The former cricketer stated:
Jaffer also agreed that Axar is a much-improved batter than he was a year or so ago. He said:
Elaborating on Axar’s impressive batting skills, the former cricketer commented:
Before his half-century in the second T20I, Axar had scored an unbeaten 31 in the first match against Sri Lanka. He also chipped in with 34 in the second innings of the Mirpur Test.
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