What is important is to keep doing well for India – Axar Patel

Axar Patel dished out an impeccable display with the ball as he claimed two wickets against Afghanistan in the second T20I, giving away just 17 runs from his four overs at Indore. He was named as the Player of the Match for his reckoning display that also saw him reaching the 200 T20 wickets milestone.

The lanky left-arm spinner’s first wicket came in the form of Afghanistan skipper Ibrahim Zadran (8), who played down the wrong line and saw his off stump pegged back. In his final over, Axar forced a mistimed shot from Gulbadin Naib and had him caught at short mid-wicket, removing the Afghan batter at a crucial time when he was threatening to take the game away from India with his 35-ball 57. 

Talking at the post-match presentation, Axar shed some light on the changes he has made to his bowling style and his focus areas in recent times.

Axar said, “Feels good, I just realised that I have got 200 T20 wickets. But what is important is to keep doing well for India, honestly a few years later I won't remember how many wickets I took. I have been trying to bowl a bit slower, vary my lengths and now I have been able to gauge these things better.”

He further added, “Now I have the confidence to bowl at all times, even in the powerplay. You need to be mentally prepared as a bowler in T20 cricket. Ready to concede a six because that same ball could get you a wicket on another day.”

The lanky all-rounder concluded by saying, “Earlier, I used to vary my plans if a batter was hitting me, but now I stick to my plans and make the batters take the chance against me.