I don't think Axar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja are in the same league: Salman Butt

Former Pakistan captain Salman Butt reckoned that there’s a vast difference between all-rounders Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel for the time being. The veteran had words of praises for Axar, but also termed Jadeja a “complete player”. However, the 37-year-old Butt also reckoned that Axar is someone, who may go on to replace Jadeja sometime in the future.

Axar, recently, played in the three-match T20I series against New Zealand where he picked up four wickets from three games at an excellent economy rate of six. In the final T20I at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata, Patel became the Player of the Match after he finished with figures of 3-0-9-3.

Jadeja wasn’t a part of the series as he was among the big names, who were rested. Both Jadeja and Patel are part of India’s upcoming Test series against the Black Caps. The two match-series starts on Thursday, November 25 with Kanpur and Mumbai being the hosts.

Axar is very talented and can take that place in the future: Salman Butt

“Axar Patel is extremely talented, but Ravindra Jadeja is a complete player. Be it batting, bowling or fielding, he is an outstanding team man. So definitely when one player goes, his replacement comes,” Butt said on his official YouTube channel.

“If you don’t have Jadeja, then you have Axar Patel, but at the moment, I don’t think Axar and Jadeja are in the same league. Axar is very talented and can take that place in the future, but Jadeja is the better option right now,” he stated.

Butt also said that Australia’s Nathan Lyon and India’s Ravi Ashwin are currently among the best spinners in the cricket world. Moreover, the left-hander lauded Pakistan’s Yasir Shah and South Africa’s Keshav Maharaj for doing well in Test cricket over the years.

“I think there are 2-3 very good spinners. Ashwin is one, Nathan Lyon is another. They are top-quality spinners. Yasir Shah has not played much of late. He took 200 wickets very quickly,” Butt stated.

“I think there are very few spinners right now who can perform well in Test cricket across the world. Keshav Maharaj is an excellent spinner as well,” he added.