When asked why he isn’t batting higher up the order despite his stellar performance in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023, Axar Patel had a witty response. The all-rounder quipped that he always ends up playing 10-12 overs, regardless of his position. On Tuesday (April 11) at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi, Axar had a terrific outing as he top-scored for Delhi Capitals (DC), smashing 54 off 25 deliveries that included four fours and five sixes. Thanks to his knock, DC posted 172 runs. But despite the competitive total, it wasn’t enough as Mumbai Indians chased the target off the last ball with six wickets in hand.
Axar was asked why he wasn’t batting up the order at the post-match press conference. He gave a hilarious reply, saying:
“I also thought about that, but then I realised that I am still batting 10-12 overs (laughs). Wherever I bat, up the order or No. 7, I am feeling the same, so I am not talking much about it. 10-12 overs are enough for me, the way I am batting.”
“We have discussed this, but if you look at our batting order, domestic players can play spin well. If I bat higher in the order, the question arises as to who will do the finishing job. The captain and the coach, when they sit down to discuss strategy, they also think about what would happen if he (Axar) gets out early. So there are two ways to think about it.” He further explained.
I could have been a bit more watchful: Axar Patel
Axar Patel played an incredible inning to lift Delhi’s score but was unfortunately dismissed on the first ball of the penultimate over as he attempted a risky shot against Jason Behrendorff. As a result, DC lost three more wickets during that over and could not finish their innings, leaving two balls remaining. In hindsight, the all-rounder admitted that he could have taken more caution in his approach. He said:
“I would blame myself as well a bit. There were 10 balls left, so maybe I could have been a bit more watchful instead of going for the big shot. But, I was in good flow, so I thought if I could connect early, there would be more pressure on the bowler.
“It’s not easy for new batters to come in and hit the ball right away. Their (Mumbai’s) batters also struggled. It could have been a different game if we had 176-180 instead of 172.”
