What separates Axar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja?

India's line is that the series before the World Cup will show who offers more. The bowling has already opened a gap. Over the last two years in men's ODIs, Axar Patel's bowling average is 33.44 against Ravindra Jadeja's 49.67, with the average across all men's ODI bowlers at 30.99. Axar is close to that standard, and Jadeja is well short of it.

That gives the coming series a clear purpose: Jadeja has ground to recover. Treating the pair as equal options overlooks how expensive his wickets have become.

The batting strengthens the case

Jadeja's strongest reply comes with the bat. Over the same two years his ODI strike rate is 95.5, ahead of Axar's 90.2 and the average of 84.7 for top-seven batters in men's ODIs. When India want quicker runs late in an innings, he still has a case.

Axar, though, scores above that average too and scores more heavily. His batting average of 35 compares with Jadeja's 29.8 and 32.64 for top-seven batters over the same period, so the batting adds to the lead he already has with the ball.

His game against England at Edgbaston in July showed the whole package: an unbeaten 57 and four wickets for 62. That is exactly the all-round contribution India are weighing when they compare the two.

Make Jadeja close the gap

Our ratings point the same way. They make Axar the ninth-best men's ODI bowler in the world, worth 1.9 runs a match more than an average player, while Jadeja is rated 0.5 runs a match worse than average.

Axar should go into the World Cup build-up as India's first-choice spin-bowling all-rounder, and the coming series is Jadeja's chance to take the place back from him.