Former India player turned commentator Aakash Chopra praised left-arm spinner Axar Patel as someone who knows how to control a T20 match with the ball in hand. Commenting on his consistency over the last couple of years, Chopra added that his brief elevation to vice-captaincy in the T20I team helped him as well. Notably, Axar starred with 2-18 from four overs as India beat Pakistan by seven wickets in the Asia Cup 2025 Group A clash in Dubai on Sunday, September 14 as well.

During a discussion on ESPNcricinfo, Chopra said: “He was held back because of Fakhar Zaman’s presence. Otherwise, you would see Axar bowling at least an over or two in the powerplay. He was held back, waited for the field restrictions to be lifted. First over that he bowls to Fakhar Zaman, he dismisses him. That’s the quality – flies under the radar because he is your conventional left-arm spinner.”

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“Whatever we have seen of Axar in the last 24 months, he hasn’t put a foot wrong. That is why he was elevated to being the vice-captain of the side. Extremely underrated. Knows the way to actually control a T20 innings irrespective of the phase, till the 16th over… He’ll do a job with the new ball in the powerplay. You bring him in the middle, he will not concede a lot of runs. He’s actually very effective,” Chopra again added.

Commenting on Axar Patel’s success against left-handers despite being a left-arm spinner, former India all-rounder Sanjay Bangar also said that he has the temperament as well as the skills to make an impact as well.

“The number of times he gets batsmen by drifting the ball away and more so the left-handers… Some bowlers do create an angle by bowling that wider line. But here, the ball which dismissed Fakhar Zaman actually started from a leg stump line, but it continued to drift away. I have experienced him wanting to bowl to Chris Gayle when he was at the top of his game. The temperament helps,” he said in the same discussion.