On Sunday, June 9, Axar Patel hailed ‘captain sahab’ Rishabh Pant with putting him at ease as he got to bat at No. 4 in a crucial match against Pakistan in the 2024 T20 World Cup. He stated Pant, his captain at the Delhi Capitals (DC), helped him feel at ease by not talking much about cricket and having some “fun”.
Axar Patel, who was moved up the order to counter Pakistan’s left-arm seamers, started poorly but finished with a respectable 20 (18) off two fours and a six in the low-scoring thriller. His 39-run partnership with Pant helped India recover from 19/2, after losing Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma cheaply.
“There was no chance to plan when I got to know I was going at number four!” Axar 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.”
Axar Patel
Pant, who led the way with a magnificent 42 (31), credited Axar’s presence in the middle for his success.
“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 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.”
Axar Patel
Pant and Axar have been close friends for a long time. Axar is also DC’s vice-captain, and they share a similar role at the IPL team.
“I didn’t want to give the ball to him in his range” – Axar Patel on planning for the superb over vs Imad Wasim
Axar also bowled a game-changing over in the second innings. Pitted against left-hander Imad Wasim, with a short leg-side boundary and the wind blowing in that direction, he gave only two runs in the 16th over by firing short, fast, and wide outside the off-stump.
“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,” Patel said. “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
India currently leads their group and will face the United States on Wednesday, June 12.