New Delhi: In-form Akshar Patel feels ready for his second tour of Australia and is not losing sleep over the close competition with Ravindra Jadeja for the No.1 left-arm spinner's role in the five ODIs Down Under.
Patel made a strong case for his inclusion in the playing XI for the first ODI on January 12, after he helped Gujarat win their maiden Vijay Hazare Trophy by lapping up 19 wickets in nine matches at 14.63.
However, it will be hard for Mahendra Singh Dhoni to pick him as Ravichandran Ashwin's spin partner over Jadeja, who made a roaring return to international cricket in the Test series against South Africa and is now in both the ODI and T20 squads for the Australia tour.
"There is always going to be competition when you are playing for India, but it has not come in the way of the personal rapport I share with some of the team members. Jaddu bhai (Jadeja) is back, so there is going to be competition as most likely there will be only one left-arm spinner in the playing XI. But that is how it is," Patel said.
The selectors are trying out different players for the three T20Is in Australia and Patel, who earned his India cap courtesy a stellar showing in IPL 2014, is disappointed to miss out from the T20 squad.
"The World T20 is round the corner and it would have been good to play three matches in Australia. However, if I keep doing well in ODIs and domestic cricket, it is a matter of time before I make a T20 return," he said, referring to the tournament to be played in India.
The 21-year-old has copped constant criticism, a majority of it from Sunil Gavaskar, for sticking to a flatter trajectory, maintaining that flighting the ball is not his forte.
Patel asserts that there is no reason why he should change his bowling style though he has started making a conscious effort to toss up the odd ball.
"Bowling flat with varied pace has been my strength. It has troubled batsmen more often than not. I don't think I will be as effective if I start flighting the ball more."
Patel has played 22 ODIs and four T20Is since making his debut in June, 2014. Looking back, he says it all happened a lot sooner than expected.
"I never thought I will play for India as a 20-year-old. The confidence grows when you are regular in the team and doing alright. I have done the hard work but was lucky as well. I got to play for India a lot earlier than I had thought," Patel said.
(PTI)
