Akshar Patel New Spinner

Akshar Patel is giving Ravindra Jadeja some stiff competition for the second spinner’s place in team India. He has been brilliant in the three One Day matches that he has played this season, getting a couple of wickets in every match with an economy of three, three and a half. He showed his utility with the bat too the other day, hitting two consecutive sixes off his first two balls and that too off the bowling of Dhammika Prasad who bowls quite quick.

India would not pick three spinners for the World Cup, that’s for sure. Ravichandran Ashwin, being an off spinner, is going to be there without any doubt. Now, the fight is between Jadeja and Akshar for the second place.

The thing which goes in the favour of Jadeja is his consistency in the last 2-3 years, but, the recent form is what the selectors would give importance to while finalizing the squad of 15.

Jadeja is surely a better batsman than Akshar. He is more experienced.  Playing with MS Dhoni at the international level and also, at the franchise level, he has learnt the art of finishing quite well.

But, bowling wise, he has deteriorated in the recent times. He doesn’t even look like getting wickets on flat decks and goes for runs too. Akshar is not an attacking bowler either, but, he, at least, controls the run flow and he is no mug with the bat.

MS Dhoni’s take would influence the decision of the selectors surely. The Indian captain is a big admirer of Jadeja and has time and time again shielded his place in the team when the left-armer has gone through lean patches. It would be interesting to see if he does that again.

Okaka thinks Balotelli could hhave been successful

Stefano Okaka, the Italian striker, reckons that his countryman Mario Balotelli could have been hugely successful at his previous club AC Milan if he had been as matured as Zatan Ibrahimovic.

Balotelli played for Milan for one and half seasons, while, Ibrahimovic was there for a slightly longer period i.e. for two seasons.

There’s not much difference between the strike rates of these two players at Milan, but, still, Okaka considers one as a success, while, the other one as a failure.

Speaking in one of his interviews recently, Okaka said, “I don’t think Mario managed to do as well as he could have here in Italy and his temperament is the reason for that.”

“Look at somebody like Zlatan Ibrahimovic. He had also come to Milan with big reputation, but, he was extremely calm during his time. He never tried to put blame on anyone for anything. He just played his game and scored a lot of goals.”

“Mario, on the other hand, was very different. He never introspects. You will always find him blaming others. I mean he is a fantastic talent no doubt and he might find that old spark at Liverpool, but, at Milan, he could have done much better.”

Ibrahimovic was actually placed on loan to Milan during the 2010-11 Season by his then parent club Barcelona and the Sweden international fired in 14 goals for the Rossoneri to earn a permanent contract the next summer.

The 32-year old was even more successful in 2011-12 striking at a rate of almost 1 goal per match in the Italian top tier.

However, that proved to be Ibrahimovic’s last season at Milan as he moved to the French club Paris Saint Germain in July 2012. He cost PSG 20 million Euros.