Axar Patel delivered a moment of brilliance on the field for India to put his team back into the T20 World Cup Super Eight match against Australia in St. Lucia. Axar’s one-handed thunderbolt dismissed the opposition skipper Mitchell Marsh for 37 off 28 balls.
Kuldeep Yadav had put on the pressure in his second over, so Marsh decided to try for a big shot to escape the shackles. The Australian captain was in a prime position to swat the final ball of the over beyond the square leg boundary.
However, Axar Patel timed his jump perfectly in the deep and caught the bail with his outstretched right arm. Despite losing his footing, Axar clutched onto the ball. Here is a video of the spectacular catch:
Mitchell Marsh was naturally distressed as he walked back to the pavilion. His alliance with Travis Head was veering dangerously close to disaster, and the Men in Blue were fired just in time.
India need to apply the squeeze after Axar Patel’s stunner
Despite Marsh’s wicket, Australia has the platform they require after losing David Warner in the opening over. Marsh and Head scored 81 runs in eight overs, launching a counterattack that Indian bowlers had not seen before.
Glenn Maxwell has come out to bat and has maintained the tempo set by the last partnership. The Australians understand that they must win the game to have a better chance of qualifying, and at the time of writing, they require 78 runs from the final seven overs.
India has a couple of overs apiece from Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh, which will most likely come at the death. With only one over left for Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel will most likely have to work his magic with the ball as well.
