MOHALI:
Axar Patel
doesn’t want to take any chances this year... at least till the
T20 World Cup
at the Caribbean and United States commences.
No excessive sliding or diving while playing domestic matches, no putting his body on the line at nets, no unnecessary daredevilry in games of little consequence. He wants to control the controllables. After all, last year, he was slotted in India’s squad of 15 for the 50-over World Cup before a freak quadriceps injury during the Asia Cup ruled him out of the mega event.
Axar watched his teammates reach the final of the tournament from the
National Cricket Academy
(NCA) in Bangalore.
This year too there is a World Cup scheduled, and Axar is determined to not to miss the bus this time.
“It was frustrating not to play the ODI World Cup,” Axar said after the T20I against Afghanistan in Mohali, where he returned with figures of 2/23 in his four-over spell.
“At the NCA, during my rehab, all I was thinking about was how I can improve my game. I worked a lot to add to my bowling repertoire. As a left-arm spinner, you don’t have much variation. I can’t bowl googlies like a leg-spinner. But I worked on mixing up my deliveries, holding the ball back and bowling it slowly through the air, then using the crease, and trying out different lines and lengths.”
“I have to keep my end up and ensure I keep giving good performances. That will take care of my place in the team,” the 29-year-old added.
Just like the ODI World Cup last year, there are plenty of spinners vying for those 2-3 spots in the eventual squad. Besides Axar, there is a more experienced Ravindra Jadeja.
Off-spinning allrounder Washington Sundar brings a different string to the bow.
Leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi has been the highest T20I wicket-taker among spinners for India in the last one year. Kuldeep Yadav is perhaps the only one among the spinners who can be termed as a sure pick, barring a bad IPL. Then there is always the chance of experienced leggie Yuzvendra Chahal making a comeback.
“Kaafi competition hai (There is a lot of competition),” acknowledged Axar.
“The last two matches (against Afghanistan) are there and then the IPL will be a huge test for all of us. For me, my competition is with myself. I will try to perform in not only the last two T20Is, but also the Test matches (against England).”
In T20Is so far, Axar has picked up 47 wickets at an average of 24.87 and boasts a good economy rate of 7.34. Besides, his strike-rate of 144.40 with the bat makes him a fine candidate for those late-overs cameos.
English (US) ·