As he has been a number of instances prior to now, Kane Williamson was being a thorn in India’s aspect. One of essentially the most completed gamers of the turning ball, the previous New Zealand captain was at it once more, working a single there, bunting a two right here. Occasionally, he would play the sweep, or rock proper again and discover the slim hole between the 2 factors, or a backward level and a brief third-man. And greater than as soon as, he made room to go inside-out, with the flip, over cowl when Ravindra Jadeja flighted the ball and acquired it to interrupt away from the proper-hander.
It was a masterclass within the artwork of batting on a turning monitor towards a excessive-high quality, 4-pronged spin assault. Soft of palms, deft of toes, Williamson loomed between India and an ideal document within the group stage of the Champions Trophy. The end result wouldn’t influence the qualification situation, but it surely was vital within the context of carrying confidence and momentum to the knockouts.
India weren’t working scared. They knew they had been one wicket away from getting caught into the tail. Not essentially Williamson’s wicket, however that may be nice, wouldn’t it?
Axar Patel had bowled eight tidy overs (none for 27) in his first spell, a spell that started within the seventh over with the Kiwis on 28 for one, chasing 250 of their bid to make it three out of three. The tall left-arm spinner has been Rohit Sharma’s go-to man within the PowerPlay, making mild of getting solely two outfielders along with his unerring accuracy. In these eight overs, he fell into glorious rhythm, attacking the stumps, giving nothing away when it comes to room or shortness in size. New Zealand may need believed – or not – that he was the weakest hyperlink within the Indian spin quartet, but when they’d designs of going after him, Axar thwarted these along with his management.
Brought again within the thirty ninth over, greater than an hour and 1 / 4 after his final ball, Axar landed the ball on a coin straightaway. He doesn’t get sufficient credit score for being a wise bowler, however he’s nothing if not that.
Occasionally spherical-armish however usually delivering from a great top, he seems easy sufficient to barter however when the ball fizzes out of his hand, it may be fairly a handful. Patrolling the outfield, Axar had seen how Williamson had taken on Jadeja. He maybe visualised that when he got here on for his final ball of the match. Williamson got here down the monitor, making just a bit little bit of room, however the place Jadeja had turned the ball away and allowed the batter to free his arms, Axar slid it in, cramping him.
Gone!
Caught in no-man’s land, Williamson was overwhelmed on the within-edge because the ball scooted by means of to Okay.L. Rahul, who had had a difficult night time behind the sticks. This time, Rahul was on level. He gathered the ball low however securely and held his pose, ready an eternity to take away the bails as Williamson stored strolling in direction of the dressing room. Gone. Gone. Gone.
Axar completed with one for 32, the massive wicket off his final ball totally deserved, given the management he had given Rohit and his personal spinning colleagues. He hasn’t been, maybe by no means can be, hailed as an excellent spinner as a result of he doesn’t give it a mighty rip and beat batters with flight and drift and dip and loop and switch and guile, however there are numerous methods to pores and skin a cat and few are more practical in doing so than the 31-yr-previous from Anand.
Did we are saying Axar doesn’t get sufficient credit score for being a wise bowler? Scratch that. Axar Patel maybe doesn’t get sufficient credit score for being a wise cricketer. For being a really, superb restricted-overs all-rounder – an correct bowler who can get among the many wickets when there’s help, a terriffic batter who’s so splendidly adept at enjoying the scenario and a gun fielder. There was a time when Axar was thought of the poor man’s Jadeja. No longer, no sir.
Axar’s restricted-overs profession started in June 2014 and meandered alongside until the tip of 2017, when he out of the blue went out of circulation. He largely batted at No. 7 or 8, often at No. 9, and didn’t at all times bowl his full quota of overs.
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He primarily performed when Jadeja wasn’t accessible, however for almost 4 years, he went out of white-ball circulation as different ‘all-rounders’ had been most well-liked, amongst them Krunal Pandya who was thought of a like-for-like substitute. In this era, Axar did make his Test debut towards England at residence in early 2021 when Jadeja was injured and responded in type with 27 wickets in three Tests, together with 20 in again-to-again video games in Ahmedabad to facilitate India’s entry into the ultimate of the inaugural World Test Championship.
There is far to love and admire about Axar Patel. Easygoing and with a prepared smile, he wears his standing as one in every of India’s extra influential white-ball cricketers most evenly.
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PTI
His Test bowling steadily suffered thereafter – solely 28 wickets in his subsequent eight Tests – whereas his batting went within the different route. Having batted at No. 8 on debut, he moved as much as No. 6, and as soon as No. 5, in his final Test sequence, additionally towards England at residence, early final yr because the crew administration confirmed confidence in his defensive strategy within the absence of a number of key prime-order batters, together with Virat Kohli and Rahul. But it’s within the two white-ball codecs that he has discovered his true calling since his restricted-overs worldwide comeback in June 2022.
His roles have differed relying on the format. In T20Is, he’s used extra as a restrictive possibility, with no matter wickets he picks up thought of a bonus. In the longer white-ball model, he’s barely extra attacking however not overtly so, as evidenced by 71 wickets from 66 matches. But his financial system is a staggering 4.49 – the corresponding quantity is 7.70 in 71 T20Is – and on condition that he usually bowls undoubtedly one and probably two overs within the PowerPlay, that’s an distinctive return.
At the T20 World Cup within the Americas final yr, Axar was sensible right through, besides in his remaining over of the competitors, towards South Africa in Bridgetown. His fourth over, the fifteenth of the ultimate, went for twenty-four as Heinrich Klaasen acquired caught into him. It threatened to undo all his good work of the previous month however his teammates rallied round him instantly after these six balls.
Rishabh Pant had an arm round him, Jasprit Bumrah got here haring from the boundary with phrases of encouragement and Rohit identified that Klaasen had hit good balls for boundaries. Axar was lifted; he may really feel the love, he knew how a lot he was favored and backed throughout the crew surroundings.
By then, Axar had performed a vital hand with the bat, strolling in at 34 for 3 within the fth over with Keshav Maharaj and Kagiso Rabada working riot. Rohit may have despatched one in every of Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya or the extra skilled Jadeja to ll the breach however plumped for Axar as a substitute, condent that the rangy left-hander may take the ght to the bowling. Alongside a singularly becalmed Virat Kohli, who at one stage went 35 deliveries with no boundary, Axar steadied the ship. Or ought to it’s, forward of Kohli? Axar’s contribution in a fourth-wicket stand of 72 was a glowing 47, off 31 deliveries with 4 towering sixes as he freed his arms and used his lengthy levers to nice impact. Axar hadn’t been despatched to simply stem the movement of wickets. He was given the license to play with freedom, to make use of his discretion, and he did that beautifully, the massive photographs coming with out the slightest quantity of danger.
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Humble, grounded
There is far to love and admire about Axar Patel. Easygoing and with a prepared smile, he wears his standing as one in every of India’s extra influential white-ball cricketers most evenly.
Humble and grounded, he has remained untouched by his performances, and if he’s bothered that in sure quarters, he won’t have gotten his due, that doesn’t appear to have an effect on him in any respect. He isn’t a showman, he doesn’t play to the gallery.
He will get on along with his enterprise with minimal fuss and maximum impact, one of many main explanation why he’s such a well-liked determine within the dressing-room. In this Indian ODI set-up, formidable and properly-stocked, it’s nice credit score to Axar that he has labored his manner as much as the No. 5 slot, occupied with such felicity by Rahul till just lately.
It’s not that Rahul has skilled a droop in type, necessitating a shake-up. Rohit and Gautam Gambhir felt India can be higher served with the left-handed Axar going up and Rahul dropping right down to No. 6, a message that was conveyed to him firstly of the England ODIs at residence final month.
He will get on along with his enterprise with minimal fuss and maximum impact, one of many main explanation why he’s such a well-liked determine within the dressing-room.
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Getty Images
Axar responded with 52 and 41* in his first two hits at No. 5, then shifted gears downwards in a vital fourth-wicket stand of 98 with Shreyas Iyer towards New Zealand in Dubai on Sunday, a stand that allowed India to get well from 30 for 3 to put up 249 for 9.
During his studied 42 (61b), Axar showcased surety in defence in addition to a whole dedication to assault when he did determine to open his shoulders. He reiterated that the arrogance reposed in him by Rohit wasn’t with out foundation, his propensity to drift with out being pulled down by the load of expectations an enormous bonus for a aspect that prides itself on versatility and adaptability.
Axar is a first-rate instance of the white-ball template that India have made their very own below Rohit. That he’s an excellent fielder – Imam-ul-Haq, anybody? – provides to the aura and makes him one of many extra indispensable restricted-overs exponents within the nation. Credit? Oh properly…
Published – March 04, 2025 12:34 am IST
