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Follow UsFor India, there are six batters who have scored more runs and three bowlers who have taken more wickets than Axar Patel in the 2024 T20 World Cup. The spin-bowling all-rounder hasn’t really set the tournament on fire but has helped India win some very important phases in this competition. It won’t be wrong to say that the Men in Blue wouldn’t have made this far into the tournament without Axar’s contributions with the bat, ball, and on the field.
When the 30-year-old was picked for the 20-over showpiece event in the USA and the West Indies, a lot was said and written about his selection. India already had Ravindra Jadeja in the squad, and many didn’t like the idea of having two left-arm spin-bowling all-rounders in the set-up. Many thought Axar would serve as a back-up for Jadeja, and India would start the event with the latter and Kuldeep Yadav in the USA.
What’s more, Axar did alright but wasn’t really extraordinary in the IPL 2024. He picked up 11 wickets @ 30.63 and an economy of 7.65 and scored 235 runs @ 29.37 and a strike rate of 131.28. Jadeja produced slightly better numbers with the bat but didn’t claim enough wickets, which has never been either his or Axar’s strength in white-ball cricket. Arguably, Jadeja was always going to get the first nod, with Kuldeep playing the role of a wicket-taker.
When India arrived in the USA for the group stage of the 2024 T20WC, the surfaces were very helpful to the seamers, and the management decided to feature all three of their frontline pacers - Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh and Mohammed Siraj. In the spin department, Jadeja got one slot and the choice had to be made between Axar and Kuldeep. It was either about having more batting depth or an attacking frontline spinner, and India went with the former.
Four weeks into the World Cup, India are still unbeaten and will play South Africa in the grand finale in Bridgetown on June 29 (Saturday). Axar, who hails from Nadiad, has scored 45 runs across four innings at a strike rate of 128.57 and taken eight wickets @ 15.50 and an economy rate of 6.88. Now, these are not record-breaking numbers, but whoever has followed this T20WC closely would know how important of a role Axar has played for India.
You don’t have to go too far back. Just look at what he did against England in the all-important semi-final in Guyana. In the first innings, the left-hander walked out to bat with two overs to spare and hit 10 off 6 deliveries, including a six off Chris Jordan. Then, in the second essay, England raced to 26 for no loss at the end of three overs, with Jos Buttler timing the ball like a dream.
For a while, it felt like the target of 172 wouldn’t be enough, and the nightmares of Adelaide started to resurface. And that’s when Indian captain Rohit Sharma handed the ball to Axar. What makes Axar great is his versatility. He is a lot more comfortable than Jadeja when it comes to bowling in the powerplay, and all it took him was one delivery to send Buttler packing.
The England captain tried to reverse-sweep and ended up top-edging it to Rishabh Pant behind the stumps. Bumrah then dismissed Phil Salt before Axar knocked over Jonny Bairstow in his second over to more or less seal the game for India. Axar even got rid of Moeen Ali and ended with figures of 3/23. Three of England’s first four wickets were claimed by Axar, who was rightly named Player of the Match. “I thought that the more I keep it simple, the easier it will be for me,” he said after the game.
This was his first official award of the event. However, that doesn’t mean his contributions in the previous games have gone unnoticed. India didn’t really need his services in the first game versus Ireland in New York, but then against Pakistan, the all-rounder made his presence felt. On an extremely tough New York surface, Axar was promoted to No.4, and the left-hander scored 20 off 18 deliveries.
India lost Rohit and Virat Kohli with only 19 runs on the board, and Axar put on a crucial 39 runs with Rishabh Pant for the third wicket. In the 120-run chase, Pakistan were 57/1 at the end of 10 overs, and that’s when Axar dismissed Usman Khan to give India an opening. He picked up 1/11 in two overs before the fast bowlers took care of business.
Axar took one wicket against the USA and broke the 31-run stand between Steven Taylor and Nitish Kumar. A bit more runs from this partnership could have been tricky for India as it took them 18.2 overs to chase down 110. India then shifted to the West Indies for the Super 8s, where the pitches were more favourable to the spinners, and as expected, Kuldeep was brought into the XI in place of Siraj.
The left-arm wrist-spinner has been phenomenal for India in the West Indies leg of the tournament, but so has Axar. Against Afghanistan, the 30-year-old slammed 12 off 6 deliveries in the last few overs and then scalped 1/15 in three overs, dismissing in-form Ibrahim Zadran. He leaked 26 runs in two overs on a good Antigua surface against Bangladesh, but his best was yet to come, that too versus two strong opponents.
If you didn’t watch the India-Australia game in St Lucia, woke up the next morning and looked at the scorecard, you wouldn’t know how important of a role Axar played in that clash. Chasing 205, Australia lost David Warner early, but Travis Head and Mitchell Marsh took the attack to India. Australia were 87/1 in 8.5 overs when Marsh pulled Kuldeep behind square. The ball was hit with immense power, but Axar timed his jump to perfection and took a one-handed blinder.
The partnership was broken, but Head and Glenn Maxwell were going strong. Australia were 116/2 in 11 overs, and the chips were down for the Men in Blue. Rohit turned to Kuldeep and Axar in tandem, and the duo bowled four overs between them, allowing only 25 runs for two wickets between overs 12 and 15. In those two overs, Axar gave away only nine runs and dismissed in-form Marcus Stoinis for just two.
Axar finished with figures of 1/21 in three overs, and his partnership with Kuldeep sealed the game in India’s favour. The required rate went from 10 to 13 after those four overs, and Australia eventually lost the game by 24 runs. He was doing the job for India without getting much limelight, so when he was named Player of the Match in the semi-final, Axar couldn’t stop smiling. His control in this T20WC has been remarkable.
“Axar Patel was the Player of the Match. He is an incredible guy. I am crying and screaming from the Pakistan match that he is not getting the attention, importance and acknowledgement he deserves. He is the Player of the Match, but no one will talk about him tomorrow. However, Bapu's performance has been absolutely outstanding,” said former India cricketer Aakash Chopra on his YouTube channel.
Axar has always lived in Jadeja's shadow, but that hasn’t been the case in this year’s World Cup. The 30-year-old has been much better with the ball than Jadeja (one wicket @ 94 and an ER of 7.23) and has even been trusted more by Rohit and the team management. India are one step away from ending their trophy drought, and if Axar can once again make an impact against South Africa, he will cement his legacy in Indian cricket.
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