Axar Patel once again proved why he is considered one of the safest fielders in the Indian cricket team during the high-pressure ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 semi-final against England. The all-rounder played a decisive role in India’s thrilling win, producing two outstanding fielding efforts that helped the team secure a place in their second consecutive T20 World Cup final.
Among those moments, Axar revealed that his favourite catch was the spectacular effort that dismissed England captain Harry Brook. The left-arm spinner sprinted backwards from the cover region to complete a stunning catch off Jasprit Bumrah’s slower delivery during the powerplay. The dismissal proved to be a massive breakthrough for India, as Brook had been one of England’s most consistent performers in the tournament.
Speaking about the moment in an interaction with the ICC, Axar Patel admitted that the difficulty of the catch made it even more satisfying. “I think my favourite one would be Harry Brook’s catch because I was running in the opposite direction. If you notice, my vision was also the other way initially,” Axar explained.
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He added that judging the ball while moving away from it was the toughest part of the effort. “Luckily, I stopped for a moment to judge which direction to go. That’s the tough bit when you are running the opposite way. When you complete a catch like that, it becomes even more enjoyable,” he said.
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Axar also played a crucial role in dismissing the dangerous Will Jacks through a brilliant relay catch alongside Shivam Dube. At that stage, Jacks and Jacob Bethell were building serious momentum for England, stitching together a rapid 77-run partnership from just 39 balls.
Jacks had already raced to 35 off 20 deliveries and looked set to take the game away from India. However, Axar’s sharp awareness near the boundary turned the momentum back in India’s favour.
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In the closing stages, Jasprit Bumrah delivered another crucial over, conceding just six runs and tightening India’s grip on the match. Axar’s fielding brilliance ultimately played a key role in keeping India’s T20 World Cup title defence alive.
