The four overs between Kuldeep, Axar that choked Australia

Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel form the established bowling pair for Delhi Capitals in the Indian Premier League. Before the 2024 season, they were the stronger links of the DC bowling. Whatever success Delhi achieved in the season was down to Kuldeep and Axar bowling. 

Let’s chuck the IPL now. 

Kuldeep and Axar had played only eight T20Is together in eight years before today (June 24). Lately, they have been rested alternatively in T20Is to keep them fresh for bigger matches. 

India facing Australia in a World Cup is always a marquee game irrespective of what is at stake. India headed into the game with their semi-final spot all but confirmed. Australia needed to win to keep their fortunes in their hands. 

Chasing 206, the 2021 champions were flying. In 11 overs, they were 116/2, with Glenn Maxwell having just smacked Ravindra Jadeja for three boundaries in the previous over. There were 29 runs in the last two overs. Travis Head, scaring India again, was batting on 55 off 27 balls. 

The chips were down for the Men in Blue. Jasprit Bumrah had bowled his two overs and was being saved for the death overs. But someone else had to do something to keep India relevant in the death overs. 

Rohit Sharma turned to Kuldeep and Axar in tandem. 

The duo bowled four overs between them, allowing only 25 runs for two wickets between overs 12 and 15. Although Kuldeep conceded nine in the 12th over, courtesy of a six from Head, Axar turned the game permitting only three runs in the 13th over. 

Axar had quite a topsy turvy game with the ball. He was brought in to bowl in the fifth over to stop the flow of runs when Australia were 36/1. However, he was probably introduced at the wrong end, with the wind blowing across him. It drifted his deliveries into the batter, wandering them towards the leg stump. Mitchell Marsh took advantage of the same, pulling a leg stump delivery for a six. That over went for 12, taking Australia to 48/1 in five overs.

Rohit didn’t bring Axar back for the next eight overs. In between Jadeja went for 17 runs in his only over. Axar then came back from that same end and bowled a three-run over to disrupt the Aussies. 

With 12 from two overs, the asking rate jumped to 11.8 and it prompted Maxwell to make a mistake. 

He charged down to Kuldeep’s wrong ‘un on the first ball of the next over without picking it. The result is what many other batters have faced trying to slog Kuldeep against the spin. Maxwell’s stumps were in a mess. Gone for 19 off 12.

A new batter with the mounting asking rate against Kuldeep’s wrist spin. The game had tilted towards India at this point. Axar began the next over in a similar manner, pouching the struggling Marcus Stoinis for 2. 

The duo bowled at good length and maintained the middle and leg stump for the right-handers. Head, being a left-hander, still scored 18 off 10 balls in this phase. But Maxwell, Stoinis and Tim David managed only seven from the other 14 balls. 

Kuldeep finished his four-over spell at 2/24. Axar mended his figures to 1/21 in three overs and wasn’t brought on for the fourth. He had done his job. Not to forget his one-handed screamer at deep mid-wicket to break the Head-Mitchell Marsh partnership that set the foundation for Australia’s efforts. 

As it can be seen from the worm chart above, the Aussies stayed close to India’s score until the 12th over when they began drifting away. The spinners instigated the choke and the pacers completed the formality to hand India a comfortable 24-run win. 

India will now proceed to the semi-finals unbeaten. Meanwhile, Australia want Bangladesh to defeat Afghanistan in the final Super 8 fixture of this World Cup. 

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