It’s been a “dream” he’s nurtured by putting in hours of hard work over the years, and Axar Patel couldn’t be happier that he’s finally come true at the stage of biggest ticket sales. against teams like England and New Zealand. Patel largely remained in the shadow of another mainstream left-hander Ravindra Jadeja’s for years before he made his own 2021 with 36 hooks with his Fifth Test underway. Asked how he would sum up the year that began with 27 championships in three games against England, Axar agreed it was indeed a dream.
“Actually, this is my dream year, you might say,” Axar, whose scores of 52 and 41 failed on this Test, said after day three.
“My drive is to keep improving and look at the areas where I need to improve. All the hard work I’ve put in over the years has finally paid off this year.” , Axar added.
In fact, two key hits in this ongoing Test lead him to believe that at home the trio of him, Ravichandran Ashwin and Jadeja can play as an all-around player.
“Batting coach (Vicky Rathour) and the team management believed in my batting ability and they always told me ‘you can do it’. Chances are, I could have converted.
“My batting benefits my team and if you see myself, Jaddu and Ash bhai playing like an all-rounder, that releases a bit of pressure on our batters. us, so that’s a good sign. As long as I keep giving it will be good for both. me and my team,” he said.
But with the South African series on the anvil, Axar knows he might be sidelined and he’s willing to pass up his time.
“The team management discussed it with us and they let us know if we were a good fit for the team mix. Whatever prioritized the team was done and we just told ourselves that We should focus on our habits and how we can continue to improve,” Axar said. that he was realistic in his thought process.
Speaking specifically about India’s second inning claim, Axar said that the plan was to hit as long as possible as time is no longer a factor in this game after New Zealand were bowled 62 in the first inning of the game. surname.
“I wouldn’t call it a delay (in the statement) because there’s a lot of time left in the game. The idea is to try to last as long as possible in a situation like this, you’re not going to get daily. , so plan to make the most of it.
“We tried to explore different options and test what if we had to chase this kind of track on the last day, trying to present ourselves in a different situation,” he said, explains the reasoning behind switching to bat 70 in the second inning.
But the left hand spinner, who shooed the dangerous Daryl Mitchell, said the ground was significantly reduced and a hitter could only get out if he fouled unlike in the first innings when there were many scratches on the surface.
“Two days back, due to the humidity below, there was a suggestion of a quick bounce and over time the track is slowing down a bit. So today, even with the first leg, the batter had enough. time to turn around. -go foot and negotiate it.
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“It’s only when the batter makes a mistake that it’s a bit difficult for him. We’ve been in situations like this and we know what we need to do in these situations. Not the right time. Every hitter is eliminated. quickly so one needs to have patience,” he said.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from the syndication feed.)
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