NEWS
Follow UsWhen Axar Patel was promoted to No.4 in India’s clash against Pakistan, it was a ploy to maximise the left-hander’s ability against spin. While it didn’t work out as planned, with the left-hander scoring just 20 off 18, it was a plan that later helped India lift their first T20 World Cup since 2007.
At 34/3 in the final against South Africa, the Indian management made Axar bat at No.5, and the left-handed batter took the opportunity with both hands to score a 31-ball 47, where he smashed four sixes. Not only did it relieve pressure on Virat Kohli at the other end, but it also helped India continue their momentum, posting a total of 176, which proved to be enough in the end.
But things could have gone horribly wrong, given that Axar was only informed of his promotion five balls before he walked out to bat.
"I came to know about the promotion barely four or five balls before I went out to bat. It wasn't that long. When Rishabh [Pant] got out, I was asked to get ready and I think in the next over itself Surya [Suryakumar Yadav] got out,” Axar told ESPNCricinfo in an interview.
"I wasn't nervous. Obviously, there is pressure on you, but at the time, I didn't understand how to react. I don't think when I went to bat there was anything going on in my mind. I had gone with a see-ball, hit-ball mindset. I was not thinking about anything, not worrying about the consequences, there were no second thoughts in my mind.
During his stay at the crease, Axar put on a 72-run partnership with Kohli off just 54 balls, a partnership that proved to be the difference between the two sides.
"I consistently communicated with Virat [Kohli] bhai, so I didn't feel that I have come in early and that I have to do something different. I kept talking with Virat bhai and we communicated clearly about what we have to do,” he said.
While it wasn’t the first instance of Axar being promoted to tackle spin, the left-hander opened up extensively on what it is to be a floater in such a setup.
"Every batsman likes to have a fixed batting position because it becomes a bit easy for him to plan for his role. But as a floater, I feel that the captain and coach trust you which is why they are sending you in tough situations. I am taking that in a positive way," he says.
"When the team needs someone to stand up, they are banking on me to deliver. That means they have seen something in me. When the team trusts you to deliver in such crunch situations, you start trusting yourself even more automatically. And once you deliver in one or two matches, it gives your confidence a different sort of boost altogether.”
Over the last two years, the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Delhi Capitals have used Axar’s batting extensively. While in 2023, the left-hander scored 283 runs, striking at 139.41, including a half-century. In 2024, he amassed 235 runs with two fifties.
"It is not as if this has happened just once or twice. I have been asked to perform this role for Delhi Capitals and other teams as well. After a point, you get used to it and it doesn't matter which position you are batting in. You are confident in batting in any position and you know what to do in that situation."
"I can only set my goals based on the kind of role I am expected to perform. It shouldn't happen that I am asked to perform some role and my goals don't align with it," he says. "I don't believe in long-term planning. I just look at the present, what's in front of me and just the short-term goals is what I look at."
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