"It is extremely necessary for the Indian team to get him fit and come back. I feel India will need his batting at No. 8 because he has shown form on Sri Lankan pitches where it is slightly difficult to bat," the former all-rounder added.
In the debate over India's No. 8 batting position, Irfan Pathan firmly believes that Axar Patel stands out as the preferred choice, even surpassing Shardul Thakur and Washington Sundar.
His diverse range of strokes and ability to adapt to challenging Sri Lankan pitches makes him the top pick for this critical role. Pathan also asserted that Axar offers a wider array of batting options compared to the highly-regarded Ravindra Jadeja.
"It is extremely necessary for the Indian team to get him fit and come back. I feel India will need his batting at No. 8 because he has shown form on Sri Lankan pitches where it is slightly difficult to bat," Pathan said.
"If you are looking for batting depth, you have the option of Shardul Thakur and Washington Sundar but I feel Axar Patel is the best among them at No. 8. If you talk about the range, I feel he has more options, even more than (Ravindra) Jadeja," he added.
Axar Patel has impressive ODI statistics, with a total of 481 runs at an average of 20.04 in 34 innings. His growth as a batter is evident from his last year's performance, where he averaged an impressive 42.00 with a strike rate of 120.00 in six innings.
As cricket enthusiasts eagerly await Axar Patel's recovery updates, it's clear that his presence in the team brings a unique blend of batting and bowling skills, setting the stage for a thrilling ICC ODI World Cup 2023.
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