Former India cricketer Saba Karim hails India’s three-star spin bowling all-rounders for their success in sub-continent

It has been a tough tour of India for the Australians as they have been dominated in the first two test matches. Australia has already lost the chance of winning the Border Gavaskar trophy and even if they win the next two remaining test matches they will only be able to draw the series. So it has been a great struggle for them till now and Indore and Ahmedabad will be more of the same by the looks of it.

One area that has been a major difference between the two teams is India’s sensational spin-bowling lineup of Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, and Axar Patel. Also, the fact that all three of them are exceptional with the bat as well in these conditions. Axar has already scored two fifties in two matches to compensate for his contribution with the ball. Whereas Ashwin and Jadeja have simply taken both the games away from Pat Cummins’ men with the red cherry.

Recently in an interview former Indian wicketkeeper batter, Saba Karim also believes that India’s spin bowling all-rounders have made this team so formidable, especially in home conditions. He highlighted how all three of them are picked in the squad for their primary attribute of bowling but they all are sensational with the bat and have scored so many crucial runs for the team lower down the order that it gets annoying for the opponent bowlers.

Karim pointed out Axar Patel’s gritty fifty against Australia in Delhi as the hosts were in some trouble. Axar instantly held the crease and stitched a massive partnership with Ashwin. He aimed to nullify the lead and bring the score as close as possible. He batted valiantly and ultimately was successful as India finished a run behind the Aussies.

“India is the best because we have three such spin-bowling all-rounders. These three are very useful with the bat, especially in subcontinent conditions. Axar Patel batted very sensibly and scored crucial runs,” Saba Karim stated in an interview with India News Sports.

The former Indian cricketer then shared his thoughts on Australia and the areas they have lacked till now. He blamed Cummins for being a passive captain and was not happy with his performances. He feels that a bowler like Cummins should be leading the pack and emulating performances of greats like Glenn McGrath or James Anderson in Indian conditions. But unfortunately, Karim shared his disappointment with the Aussie captain as he also pointed out his timid strategies and lack of aggression.

“Pat Cummins is a wonderful bowling all-rounder,” the 55-year-old added. “It was expected that he will bowl a lot of cutters in these Indian conditions and set fields to plan dismissals, similar to what Glenn McGrath and James Anderson have done in the past. However, that kind of attitude and planning has been missing. Furthermore, he has not shown enough fight with the bat. He hasn’t been able to lead from the front.”

While Australia will look to bounce back in Indore’s Holkar Stadium, captain Cummins has flown back home due to personal reasons whereas Josh Hazlewood and David Warner are also ruled out for the remaining two matches. Warner sustained an injury to his elbow while batting against Mohammed Shami in the first innings of the Delhi test. He was replaced by Matt Renshaw as a concussion substitute but now he will have to travel back to Sydney for his recovery. Warner is expected to fly back to India for the ODI series.