{"id":70058,"date":"2024-06-11T03:35:28","date_gmt":"2024-06-11T03:35:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2024\/06\/11\/t20-world-cup-axar-patels-quiet-contribution-against-pakistan-proved-crucial-cricket-news-times-of-india\/"},"modified":"2024-06-11T03:35:28","modified_gmt":"2024-06-11T03:35:28","slug":"t20-world-cup-axar-patels-quiet-contribution-against-pakistan-proved-crucial-cricket-news-times-of-india","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2024\/06\/11\/t20-world-cup-axar-patels-quiet-contribution-against-pakistan-proved-crucial-cricket-news-times-of-india\/","title":{"rendered":"T20 World Cup: Axar Patel’s quiet contribution against Pakistan proved crucial | Cricket News – Times of India"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"T20<\/div>\n
NEW YORK<\/a>: Axar Patel is a player who invariably goes a bit under the radar. Even on Monday, as India fought back to beat Pakistan in a thriller, there weren\u2019t too many discussions about the allrounder\u2019s performance, both with the bat and the ball.
At a time when India were reduced to 19-2 with Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma both back in the pavilion, Axar was promoted to an unfamiliar No.4 spot where he came up with a vital 20 off 18 balls, which was a significant contribution on a difficult pitch. And with the ball, he followed up a brilliant 15th over by Jasprit Bumrah with a stingy one where he did not allow Imad Wasim and Shadab Khan to cut loose. <\/p>\n

T20 WORLD CUP<\/span>: <\/span>Schedule <\/a>| <\/span>Points Table<\/a><\/p>\n

Axar didn\u2019t get wickets, so no one really spoke about his effort, but only two runs off that over put tremendous pressure on Pakistan at that stage. The mild-mannered Gujarat boy, too, doesn\u2019t want to take too much credit for his show.
\u201cI don\u2019t think my over was the turning point. As far as we were concerned, every over was a turning point. Whatever the captain was changing seemed to be working. As the pressure built up, my plan was not to try too many things, as there was not much for the spinners, and stop the big shots,\u201d Axar said.<\/p>\n

But under extreme pressure, the left-armer did get his planning spot on, as he bowled a couple wide outside the off-stump, and then pushed one in which kept the batter guessing.
\u201cIt was important that I play with their minds a bit in that stage. So when I bowled a couple outside, I knew the batter would shuffle in and I pushed it in,\u201d Axar said.
Despite being quietly consistent over the years, just as Axar isn\u2019t considered India\u2019s No. 1 spin-bowling allrounder, there hasn\u2019t been much time spent on decoding his batting as well. The team management, though, understands his importance and in the practice sessions leading up to the game against Pakistan, one could see how Rohit Sharma wanted Axar to get some batting form going.<\/p>\n

He got long stints with the bat and come match-day, was sent out when the chips were down. His 39-run partnership with Rishabh Pant went a long way in India reaching 80-3 in the first 10 overs, which eventually proved crucial.
\u201cThe captain has clearly said before the tournament that apart from the openers\u2019 slots, no other position is fixed. We\u2019ll have to go up and down as per the need of the hour. My brief was not to try anything fancy and get the new ball out of the way so that the big-hitters lower down have the platform,\u201d Axar said.<\/p>\n

With the team playing only four specialist batters, the role of four allrounders becomes huge. The 30-year-old is a crucial cog in that wheel.
\u201cIt is about the balance. Now we have batting till No. 8 while there are seven bowlers to fall back on. Having options are crucial and we have to keep at it,\u201d Axar said.<\/div>\n