Axar Patel in the T20 WC 2024 (PC: BCCI/X)Shamik Chakrabarty in Pallekele
After 14 overs, Sri Lanka were 140/1, chasing 214 for victory. They were going at 10 runs per over and the asking rate was just a shade over 12. To make matters worse, Ravi Bishnoi had dropped a marauding Pathum Nissanka off Hardik Pandya’s bowling at deep mid-wicket. In fact, when Bishnoi spilled the chance, it felt like the game was done and dusted. The first T20I between India and Sri Lanka saw a near full house at Pallekele and the fans magnified the noise level.
Then came Axar Patel. He bowled the next over and castled Nissanka with an arm ball; credit it to the bowler’s excellent use of the crease. A couple of boundaries later, Axar dismissed Kusal Perera as well. This time, Bishnoi didn’t make any mistake at deep square. The game changed. The stadium became quieter.
Suryakumar Yadav was adjudged the Player of the Match after India’s 43-run win, but Axar’s double-wicket over was the game’s turning point. The left-arm spinner returned with 2/38 from his four overs, but the hard numbers didn’t quite capture his high-impact performance.
It has been a steady rise for Axar over the last one year, to the extent that he has now become India’s most utility cricketer in white-ball formats. Against Pakistan at the T20 World Cup, when India lost a couple of early wickets, he came in at No. 4 and steadied the ship on a treacherous pitch. Against Australia, his stunning catch in the deep to get rid of Mitchell Marsh tilted the balance in India’s favour. In the semi-final, he spun a web around England batsmen. In the final, once again promoted in the batting order, he made 47 off 31 balls and stitched a game-changing 72-run fourth wicket partnership with Virat Kohli.
Ravindra Jadeja has hung up his T20I boots, but the team management trusts Axar to be India’s crisis man irrespective of conditions. On a flat pitch at Pallekele, his game-turning over was a further testament to his utility.
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After the match, Axar spoke about his improvement and credited it to stability. “When you play continuously for the Indian team, it gives you a kind of assurance (not to look over your shoulder),” he said at the post-match press conference. “Then, when you perform in pressure situations, you grow in confidence. Handling pressure situations helps you learn a lot of things. Not that every time you will succeed. But even when you fail, you learn from your mistakes.”
Missing last year’s World Cup (50-over format) due to a left quadriceps injury could have been a setback. He was upset. But instead of sulking, he focused on his recovery and came back stronger. “I was upset. But it happened due to an injury (and) it was not in anyone’s hands. It’s part and parcel of the game,” he said at the time.
About 10 months down the line, he spoke about the importance of retaining one’s composure under pressure. “Last one year has been a learning curve for me,” he said. “I don’t get bogged down in pressure situations. Nor do I start thinking too much. I just stick to my strengths. Now I know what to do next even when I get hit.”
By his admission, having a good T20 World Cup was important. The target achieved, Axar is carrying forward his confidence.
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