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Delhi Capitals Director of Cricket, Sourav Ganguly believes Axar Patel is a "certainty" for the Indian team in the upcoming T20 World Cup and also backed franchise skipper Rishabh Pant for finding a place in the squad.
The marquee event is just a month away and Axar made a strong case for his spot in the team with a stellar performance with the bat against Gujarat Titans. Promoted to no.3, Axar made GT bowlers dance to his tune by pulling out some of the best strokes from his arsenal. He scored 66 runs for Delhi Capitals from 43 balls. Along with Patel, Ganguly backed left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav to be a part of the Indian team. "Axar Patel I think is a certainty in the World Cup. Even Rishabh Pant and Kuldeep. But it is my personal opinion. It lengthens the batting, for someone like Rohit with the way cricket is going these days, you want someone who can bat at 8 and give him those 15-20 runs which Axar can do. If he wants someone to bat in the middle and hit spinners, Axar can do, that is the advantage with Jadeja and Axar they are so talented and gifted," Ganguly said on Friday in the pre-match press conference ahead of their Indian Premier League (IPL) clash against Mumbai Indians. Selectors have a tough task in terms of deciding the wicket-keeping options with a plethora of talent available at their disposal. Rishabh Pant, who made his return to competitive cricket through IPL after 14 months as he was recovering from a serious injury in car accident, has found his rhythm and amassed 342 runs for Delhi Capitals this season which includes three fifties in nine matches. Along with Pant, Rajasthan Royals captain Sanju Samson also made a strong case with some splendid performances with the bat in the ongoing season. "Don't ask me that question," Ganguly said jokingly. "I love, Sanju and I love Rishabh. Rishabh will go, Sanju might also go. I am not saying Sanju should not go he is as good as a player as anybody. He keeps, he bats, and he has captained Rajasthan superbly. But Rishabh will go," Ganguly added. DC, who found their rhythm with three wins in last four games, will square off against Mumbai Indians on Saturday at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. (ANI)
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