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Axar Patel
Axar Patel is quickly positioning himself as an useful all-rounder in white ball formats, and for him "self-belief" is the key ingredient in that transformation. In the latest instance, Axar made a handy 42 and then claimed the prized wicket of Kane Williamson with his left-arm spin to play an important role in India's 44-run win over New Zealand in a Champions Trophy match here on Sunday. "I was not able to click earlier and it was in the back of the mind that I was not able to show my talent. Maybe, I was putting more pressure on myself back then, despite knowing that I have the talent," Axar said in a mixed zone interaction with reporters here. But an unbeaten 35-ball 64 against the West Indies at Barbados in 2022 unlocked his mind. The knock helped India chase down a daunting 312. "After that match against the West Indies, I knew I could finish games. As soon as I gained that self-belief, I didn't think much about whether I wanted to show batting to anyone or not. "I know that
As Virat Kohli neared his century against Pakistan, India's Axar Patel turned into a human calculator, crunching numbers and silently praying he didn't edge the ball at the other end, all to make sure the superstar reached his milestone. Axar walked in to bat with India needing 19 runs to win and Kohli unbeaten on 86. "At the end, actually main bhi thoda maths kar raha tha unke hundred ke liye (Even I was doing the math for his hundred towards the end). I was hoping that I don't edge the ball or something. So, it was quite fun," Axar said in video posted by ICC. However, Shaheen Afridi bowled three wides in the 42nd over, making Kohli's path to the century a bit trickier. At one point, Axar was even booed for taking a single, as fans wanted Kohli to get maximum strike. With Kohli stranded on 96 and India needing just two runs to win, skipper Rohit Sharma cheekily gestured for him to finish the game with a six. Acknowledging the call, Kohli, instead of going for a maximum, elegant
India spin all-rounder Axar Patel took to social media on Tuesday to announce the arrival of his baby boy, Haksh Patel, who was adorably dressed in a tiny national jersey. The 30-year-old cricketer shared a heartfelt photo depicting little Haksh holding his parents' hands. Haksh was born on December 19. "He's still figuring out the off side from the leg, but we couldn't wait to introduce him to all of you in blue. World, welcome Haksh Patel, India's smallest, yet biggest fan, and the most special piece of our hearts," Axar wrote in his post. Haksh is the first child of Axar and his wife, Meha, who got married in January 2023. India captain Rohit Sharma had said during a pre-match press conference ahead of the Boxing day Test against Australia that Axar was not considered for the last two Test matches, partly, due to the recent addition of a baby to his family. Mumbai off-spin all-rounder Tanush Kotian has been selected for the remaining two Tests following the sudden retirement of
His exploits in the powerplay set up India's massive win over England and left-arm spinner Axar Patel said keeping things simple was the key as it helped him make life difficult for rival batters "without doing anything extraordinary". Coming in to bowl in the fourth over, Axar (3/23) removed England skipper Jos Buttler off his very first delivery before dismissing Jonny Bairstow and Moeen Ali in consecutive overs to derail England's chase as they eventually folded for 103 in pursuit of 172 in the T20 World Cup semifinals here on Thursday. "Obviously in powerplay, it is difficult (to bowl) but when you know that you are getting help from the wicket, then without thinking much, without doing anything extraordinary, I thought that the more I keep it simple, the easier it would be for me," Axar said during the post-match press conference. "We spoke in the dressing room that it's not an easy wicket (for batting), and I knew that the batsmen will charge at me. It wasn't going to be easy