BCCI pick Axar Patel as Kuldeep Yadav’s backup for India’s third Test

The All-India Senior Selection Committee on Tuesday finalized Axar Patel as the replacement for Ravindra Jadeja in India’s 15-member squad for the third and final Test against Sri Lanka, which is scheduled to start on August 12 at Pallekele International Cricket Stadium.

While Chinaman bowler Kuldeep Yadav remains the direct replacement for Jadeja in the first eleven, the Board of Control for Cricket in India was in two minds over the selection of Axar Patel or off-spinner Jayant Yadav as his backup, before the Gujarat youngster got the nod.  

Axar Patel has been with the India A side in South Africa for the tri-nation one-day series that ended on Tuesday and is expected to join the side on Thursday. Jayant Yadav was the part of India’s Test squad in the series against Australia earlier this year and had equal chances, but the 27-year is old is in India as he recently lost his father failing to make it to the India A tour either.

Despite being named as the man-of-the-match in India’s win in the second Test, Jadeja was handed a one-match ban by the International Cricket Council (ICC) after accumulating six demerit points in a 24-month period.

The incident happened on the final delivery of the 58th over when Sri Lanka were batting as the slow left-arm orthodox threw the ball back at the batsman, Dimuth Karunaratne, who hadn’t left the crease. Umpire deemed it ‘dangerous’ and his demerit points reached six within a 24-month period.