NEW DELHI: Axar Patel stood with his arms outstretched, a broad smile lighting up his face. Moments earlier, he had Pakistan batter Usman Khan stumped by Ishan Kishan by a considerable margin for 44. The wicket left Pakistan reeling at 73 for five, virtually sealing their fate in pursuit of 176 in the high-voltage T20 World Cup clash on Sunday.From a match standpoint, the left-arm spinner’s celebration may have stemmed from the awareness that he had nearly extinguished Pakistan’s hopes.
But it might also have carried a personal undertone.Usman had taken a liking to Axar, striking six boundaries in his 34-ball knock, including two instances of consecutive fours.Yet, the decisive moment of his dismissal lacked any dramatic flourish.There was none of the sorcery that Kuldeep Yadav or Varun Chakravarthy often produce — no ripping delivery from outside off-stump or a darting missile that flashes past the batter.Then again, Axar has never relied on theatrics.Even on supportive surfaces like the one at the Premadasa, it is his intelligent variations in length — born out of sharp observation — that make him such a difficult proposition.Axar subtly dragged his length back, anticipating Usman’s charge down the track. The Pakistan wicketkeeper-batter could only swing in hope as Kishan completed the formalities behind the stumps.Axar later outlined his approach.“Basically, what was happening on the wicket, the odd ball was skidding a little more, and some other balls were spinning more. When we came to bowl in the second innings, I realised that the new ball was skidding a little more,” Axar said in the post-match press conference.“So the plan is to observe what the batsman wants to do, in which area he wants to target me. After that I change my line or length. And the second dismissal (Usman) happened when he was stepping out. So I again went for my length. So, yeah, I plan like that,” he added.Earlier, Axar had also ended Babar Azam’s uneasy 16-minute stay at the crease.Detecting Babar’s rising impatience, the 32-year-old slipped in a fuller delivery on off-stump, tempting the former Pakistan captain into a release shot.The attempted slog sweep backfired, with Babar losing his stumps.“He has always been a kid with a big heart. His biggest asset is his ability to observe, and put those observations into practice. He clearly knows what are his strengths and what are his limitations. It is a good quality to have for sportspersons,” said Amrish Patel, Axar’s childhood coach.“Axar has long strides and he puts it into good use, as he can quickly adjust his lengths without any obvious signals to the batsmen. He has a very flexible mind,” he added.Axar carries that adaptability into his batting too, although his skills with the bat were not required against Pakistan.More than his batting slot or the number of runs he contributes, Axar remains focused on fulfilling the team management’s directives.He has slotted in at positions ranging from No. 4 to No. 8 in white-ball cricket.While many batters prefer stability in their batting roles, Axar sees flexibility as an asset.“The job of an all-rounder is that you can bowl or bat at any order. I always think that if the team needs me, then that means they are showing confidence in me that I will work in such a situation.“And I will get them out of this situation. So, it is a plus point for me. And, yeah, maybe in the upcoming match, you can see me (bat) higher up also – you never know,” said Axar.For now, though, Axar the batter is content to play a supporting role to Axar the bowler — the version India need most in this T20 World Cup.
