Axar Patel, an Indian left-arm spinner, shed light on his stunning catch to eliminate Australian captain Mitchell Marsh in their T20 World Cup match in St. Lucia on Monday, June 24. The Men in Blue triumphed by 24 runs, and Marsh’s wicket was a critical moment in the game.
India set a lofty goal of 206, but Australia were on track for the chase when Mitchell Marsh and Travis Head were on fire. Axar’s stunning one-handed catch provided the Men in Blue with a much-needed spark of inspiration.
Speaking to ICC after the game, Axar Patel admitted that he didn’t realize he had taken the catch because he lost his balance after the ball became trapped in his right hand. He said:
“Mere haath mein jo aawaz aayi hai uske baad mereko kuch pata nahi tha (The ball made a sound as it hit my palm and after that I didn’t know that I had taken the catch).”
Axar Patel
Here’s the video:
Axar Patel also said that because Kuldeep Yadav was bowling and Marsh was attempting to play the sweep shot, he believed there was a chance of a top edge, forcing him to run in. The left-arm spinner felt the wind’s drift, which caused him to move the wrong way at first, but he recovered in time.
Axar Patel on the importance of Mitchell Marsh’s wicket
Mitchell Marsh and Travis Head had already combined 81 runs for the second wicket, and Axar Patel believed India sorely needed to break the partnership. While he made an incredible catch, he was most pleased that his team made a crucial breakthrough.
He went on to say the following:
“It was a difficult take but it was an important wicket as we needed to break that partnership. I derived more happiness from the fact that it wasn’t a six and then the partnership also was broken.”
Axar Patel
Aside from that amazing catch, Axar also played an important role in taking the sting out of Australia’s chase in the second half. His three overs yielded just 21 runs, including the vital wicket of Marcus Stoinis.