Team India spinner Axar Patel credited ‘captain sahab’ Rishabh Pant for helping him play with ease when he came to bat at No. 4 at a key stage against Pakistan in the 2024 T20 World Cup on Sunday, June 9 as well. He said Pant, his captain at the Delhi Capitals (DC), made him feel comfortable by having a bit of “fun” as well. Notably, Axar was promoted to up the order to counter Pakistan’s left-arm seamers attack. He started slowly but ended up with 20 (18). His 39-run stand with Pant helped India recover from 19/2 when they had lost the Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma very cheaply.
“There was no chance to plan when I got to know I was going at number four!” Axar Patel told BCCI. “It was easy for me because our captain sahab (Rishabh) wasn’t saying anything about cricket and was just having a bit of fun to make me feel easy while telling a few things [about the game] here and there after every ball. So while talking I also felt a bit easy that everything’s going alright.”
“There was nothing much on my mind, I was just planning to keep it simple with a positive mindset because India-Pakistan is always a high-pressure game,” the keeper-batter further said. “Then, when Bapu came in – I think he has practiced batting at No. 3,4 all IPL (laughs) – when your mate is with you, you get comfortable. We were speaking to each other, being comfortable, and not thinking much about the situation.”
However, Axar Patel also bowled a match-defining over in the second innings where he conceded just two runs in the 16th over by firing it short, quick and wide outside the off-stump as well.
“The plan was just that I didn’t want to give the ball to him in his range and get hit for a six at deep mid-wicket because the wind direction was that side too. I spoke to the captain, Rohit (Sharma) bhai, to give me 2 point fielders, and a sweeper fielder ready for the cut shot as well and I’ll bowl him for the cut shot. [I thought] if he hits a cut or hits one through covers that’s okay because it’s a very difficult shot. I executed it well, the over went well and the runs difference increased,” Axar Patel concluded.
