Jadeja's performances made it difficult for left-arm spinners to break into the Test squad: Axar Patel

Indian left-arm spinner Axar Patel said that getting into the Test squad was not easy as Ravindra Jadeja gave top performances. Axar Patel, who made his Test debut in February 2021, had to wait six years after playing his first match for India. The all-rounder started with the ball and ended up picking 27 wickets from the three games in the series. Axar also grabbed 4 five-wicket hauls as England lost the series 3-1. Joe Root and team managed to clinch only one-win Test match, which Axar Patel missed due to a knee injury.

Ravindra Jadeja was absent from the home series against England

Ravindra Jadeja has always been India's first-choice all-rounder in the red-ball format. However, it was only the home series that he could not be a part of due to a thumb injury. He incurred the injury during the Australia tour, and his absence became a blessing in disguise for Axar Patel. Patel is acknowledged as the second most famous left-arm spin bowling all-rounder from the state of Gujarat. The spinner has now accepted that the problem was not with his skill sets but Jadeja's on-field brilliance.

In the past few years, Jadeja's performance has made the entry of any left-arm spinner in the squad very difficult. The presence of all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin has also made the path difficult for any other spinner. Right from his debut till the fourth Test, he troubled England and picked up 27 wickets at an average of just 10.59. Only Ravichandran Ashwin (32) claimed more wickets than him after having played one game more.

With his 27-wicket return, Axar Patel surpassed Ajantha Mendis' record (26) of the most wickets picked in a debut series. The 27-year-old also displayed his batting skills, scoring 43 runs in the first innings of the fourth and final Test. With a five-for in the second innings of the fourth Test, Axar equaled Dilip Doshi's record of most scalps (27) in a debut Test series for India. While Doshi had picked up 27 wickets in six matches, Axar achieved the milestone in just three games. Axar Patel has also become the third Indian spinner after Laxman Sivaramakrishnan and Ashwin scalp a five-wicket haul in each innings of a Test match. 

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