My mindset is to take wickets at all times: Axar Patel

It has been a while since Ravindra Jadeja has been in the Indian squad, still recuperating from an unfortunate injury that he copped against Hong Kong in the last edition of the Asia Cup. There were a lot of fears about how India is going to cope with his absence. 

Things have changed entirely, however, with Axar Patel’s emergence. The southpaw was simply not swinging by as a peripheral vignette. He was leading the show in his own brilliant way, reaping handsome dividends against Sri Lanka, landing his first T20I Player of the Series award.

It was a show to savour for the Indians as he started the series with a phenomenal 31, stabilizing a shaken ship for the Men in Blue while he dished out an impeccable 65 in the second match to rock and roll in emphatic fashion after India was almost down and out. In the final T20I, he chimed in with 21 crucial runs at the end while also claiming an important scalp.

At the post-match awards show, Axar was vocal about how the team management alongside Hardik Pandya supported him unreservedly and the results were for everyone to savour. Talking at the post-match awards ceremony, the lanky all-rounder highlighted how he plotted against the Sri Lankan hard-hitters and what were the obvious outcomes of the same.

Axar said, “I enjoy my batting and feel happy when I perform with the bat. The captain gave me a lot of confidence and I think that is working my way. The planning is there, but I can't look to contain the batters. My mindset is to take wickets at all times.”

The all-rounder will also be a part of the upcoming ODI series as India plans to assess their weapons ahead of the upcoming quadrennial extravaganza in November 2023 where the Men in Blue will need the best of their personnel to be at their majestic peak if they are to launch a bid for the crown of the world.