There is no going into a safe house around the fact that the Australian batters will be in for a stern challenge during Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2023. Starting in less than a week’s time with the first match in Nagpur, Australia have a handful of days to prepare and adapt to conditions to the best of their abilities especially after their decision to not participate in a warm-up match before a four-match Test series.
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One of the two teams to have won a Test match in India in the last decade, Australia can replicate their success from their last Test series in this country but the same will happen only if someone emulates spinner Steve O’Keefe’s match-winning spell from back in the day or their batters successfully come out as triumphant against the Indian spinners.
Speaking particularly of their batters, one feels they are the best equipped to challenge the Indian spinners in India. In all honesty, it would be a surprise if a Top Four consisting of David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne and Steven Smith fail time and again during the upcoming series. It is the same reason why this series is one of the most-awaited cricketing contests of the year.
Steve O’Keefe doesn’t believe David Warner and Co can play Axar Patel on dust bowls during BGT 2023
O’Keefe, however, doesn’t believe that the Australian batters can survive against the Indian spinners especially if the hosts prepare “dust bowls”. O’Keefe, pointed out a potential threat highly likely to be caused by India all-rounder Axar Patel’s left-arm spin in the series.
O’Keefe, who appeared on The Grade Cricketer Podcast recently, didn’t mince his words whilst stating that Australian batters will have a tough time in case of the above mentioned condition of pitches across the four matches.
“No [Australia can’t play Axar Patel]. If it’s the dust bowls that they served us recently we’ve seen and he’s been playing sort of the second spinner. You’re like ‘Oh, that just looks like a nightmare’. 6’2” round-arm, he doesn’t know which way they’re going and into crap, that’s just going to explode,” O’Keefe said on The Grade Cricketer Podcast.
That being said, O’Keefe not only exaggerated about Patel’s height by a couple of inches but also his Test record in spite of making a lot of sense. “65 wickets at [an average of] 11. It is like U-13’s sort of bowling. I’m intrigued to see how it goes but it’s going to be an uphill battle,” O’Keefe added.
Readers must note that Patel has picked 47 wickets in his first eight Tests at an average of 14.29, an economy rate of 2.31 and a strike rate of 37 including five five-wicket hauls. Having missed both the white-ball series against New Zealand due to his marriage last month, Patel will be fighting with Kuldeep Yadav for the third spinner’s spot in the Test Playing XI.
