Ravichandran Ashwin and Axar Patel both bowling well in tandem worked well for India: Sanjay Bangar

Former India batting coach Sanjay Bangar lauded the all-round performances of the home team in their recent T20I series win over New Zealand, and reserved special praise for the spinner Ravichandran Ashwin and Axar Patel.

Axar picked 3 wickets in India’s 73-run win in the 3rd T20I which helped the Men in Blue sweep the series 3-0 in Kolkata on Sunday night. Ashwin, who was rested for the series-finale at Eden Gardens, bagged 3 wickets in the first-two games in Jaipur and Ranchi.

“They have been very professional, they have been put under the pump a bit by the New Zealand openers but the way Indian spinners have responded in the middle overs has been fantastic.

“So, Ashwin and Axar Patel both bowling well in tandem has really worked well for the Indian team in the middle overs,” the former India all-rounder said on Star Sports’ show ‘Follow the Blues’.

Bangar also had good things to say about fast bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who bounced back to form in this series after a disappointing performance in the recent T20I World Cup in the UAE.

“Can’t take anything away from somebody like Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who’s got his swing back because whenever he’s played and he’s bowled with that new ball, he’s got his swing back. The wicket that he took in the first match of Daryl Mitchell was a dream and it augers really well for the Indian team because he’s somebody who can give you those initial breakthroughs in the first six overs inside the powerplay and that sets any opposition on the back foot.

“Add to that, how Harshal Patel took his chance in his debut match was really impressive because he’s someone who’s been known to rely a lot on his slow ball variations and in a match wherein there was a lot of dew. Despite that, he overcame that challenge and bowled really well with a wet ball and still used his variations, with cutters and slow bouncers. I felt that was a big plus for the Indian team as well,” Bangar said.