Former India cricketer Wasim Jaffer has opined that no bowler supported Axar Patel as the Men in Blue suffered a four-wicket defeat to England in the second T20I of the five-match series. The contest was played on Saturday, July 4 in Manchester.

Chasing 191, the hosts won with six balls to spare, with Jacob Bethell top-scoring with an unbeaten 76 off 46 balls. For the visitors, Arshdeep Singh took three wickets but conceded 40 runs, while Axar Patel was brilliant, picking up the crucial wicket of Harry Brook and conceding just 20 runs in his four-over spell.

Speaking on the YouTube channel (Wasim Jaffer Official), the 48-year-old said that Axar lacked support from the other bowlers and also highlighted Ravi Bishnoi’s spell, in which he conceded 60 runs in four overs, adding that it proved to be the difference in the game. Jaffer said:

“Apart from Axar, it felt like no one really complemented him. Just look at his economy. Everyone else went at over 10 runs an over, and Ravi Bishnoi ended up conceding 60 runs. That, in my opinion, was probably the difference in the game. With Ravi Bishnoi, his biggest strength is also his biggest weakness. He bowls very quickly, you know, and he’s quite one-dimensional. Because of that, once batters figure him out, they know how to play him. So, today was a really tough day for him.”

Jaffer also spoke about Varun Chakaravarthy, who returned figures of 1/37 in his four overs, noting that international batters have now started to read him. He said:

“The same applies to Varun as well. You know, this is something we also saw during the World Cup. It seems international batters have started to understand how to play Varun. So, apart from Axar Patel, it felt like India didn’t really have another reliable bowling option.”

Meanwhile, during the match, Axar reached the milestone of 100 T20I wickets, becoming the first Indian spinner to achieve the feat with the dismissal of Brook.

“It always feels like whatever total India puts up is gettable” – Wasim Jaffer highlights India’s bowling concerns

In the same discussion, Wasim Jaffer opined that without Jasprit Bumrah, who has been rested for the series, any total posted by India seems achievable. He also noted that with Hardik Pandya unavailable due to injury and a lack of trust in Shivam Dube, things become more difficult. Jaffer said:

“I’ve said this before as well. When Jasprit Bumrah isn’t there, you know, and you also don’t have Hardik. We don’t use Shivam Dube as a bowler because we don’t trust him enough with the ball. So, without Bumrah, it always feels like whatever total India puts up is gettable.”

The Men in Blue will now return to action on Tuesday, July 7 in Nottingham for the third T20I against England.