Former India captain Krishnamachari Srikkanth has lashed out at Delhi Capitals skipper Axar Patel over his poor run this season, saying he has failed to deliver with both bat and ball and has never really lived up to expectations since his early days. His comments come at a time when DC are under severe pressure after a shocking collapse against Royal Challengers Bengaluru on Monday night, where they were bundled out for just 75. The performance has put the entire batting unit under the scanner, with nothing seemingly clicking for the side at the moment. Their struggles have been ongoing, having failed to defend a massive 264 against Punjab Kings earlier, before suffering another heavy setback in the very next game. The back-to-back failures have left Delhi Capitals searching for answers in a season that is quickly slipping away from them.
Srikkanth did not hold back in his assessment of DC skipper Axar’s form, questioning his prolonged dip in impact with both bat and ball. His blunt remarks come amid growing scrutiny over Delhi’s performances this season.
“He hasn’t done anything with the bat in a long time. Even as an all-rounder and captain, it’s been ages since he has done anything. When was the last time he did anything deadly with bat or ball? How can the team come up if this is the case?” Srikkanth said on his YouTube channel.
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Axar has endured a tough season with both bat and ball. In 8 matches, he has scored just 31 runs at an average of 6.20 and a strike rate of 100, falling well short of expectations in the middle order. His bowling, too, has lacked its usual bite, with only 7 wickets so far and an economy rate of 8.33, reflecting a dip in control and overall impact compared to his usual standards.
“Nitish Rana is a gone case”
Continuing his sharp assessment of DC’s batting unit, Srikkanth singled out Tristan Stubbs, Nitish Rana, Sameer Rizvi and David Miller, questioning their consistency and impact in crunch situations this season.
“It’s been ages since Tristan Stubbs scored something substantial. Nitish Rana is a gone case when you bounce him. Sameer Rizvi struggles against fast or medium-fast bowling at the start of his innings. If he gets set after smashing some spinner for 20, he’ll play well then even against pacers. Miller has also done nothing impactful,” he added.