"Jis din jo chal gaya...": Axar Patel on his all-round potential
Jul 20, 2024
New Delhi [India], July 20 : India's Axar Patel gave a hilarious take when he addressed the kind of all-rounder he classifies himself as.
For the majority of his career, Axar has been seen as a spin-bowling all-rounder who could contribute with the bat lower in the order. However, the perception around him has started to change, especially in the past one year.
"Jis din jo chal gaya, wo all-rounder ban jata hoon main (Whatever works for me on a given day, I become that variety of an all-rounder)," he told ESPNCricinfo with a smile.
"If my bowling clicks, I am a bowling all-rounder, if the batting clicks, then batting all-rounder. I started off as a batsman, so I think I like my batting more. In the last two or three years, the kind of batting I have been doing, I feel I am now capable. I was not doing justice to my batting in the earlier years," he added.
While featuring for the Delhi Capitals in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024, Axar was used as a floater, and the 30-year-old embraced the opportunity.
He came in at number three or four and entertained the fans with some mouth-watering stroke play. During the T20 World Cup, he was used as a floater against Pakistan in the group stage and also in the final against South Afric, where he made a crucial 47.
He impressed with his remarkable bowling skills throughout the tournament. But in the final, he was smashed all around the park by Heinrich Klaasen, and he conceded 24 runs in the 15th over.
Despite his shortcomings with the ball, Axar had already played a major role in taking India to a competitive total with his quick-fire 47 off 31 deliveries.
Even though Axar fell short of a well-deserved half-century, Virat Kohli and Shivam Dube applied the finishing touches to take India to 176/7.
Despite Klaasen's bashing, India managed to defend the total and end their 13-year-long ICC World Cup trophy drought.
