When Axar Patel had Usman Khan stumped by Ishan Kishan by a mile for 44, Pakistan were reduced to 73/5, signalling a realistic end to their chase of 176 in the high-voltage T20 World Cup match in Colombo on Sunday.
From the match point of view, the left-arm spinner’s celebration might have been brought on by his realization that he had virtually dashed Pakistan’s aspirations. It might have been something really personal, though.
In his 34-ball innings, Usman had hit six boundaries off of Axar, including two consecutive fours. But his dismissal at the crucial moment was scarcely spectacular. Kuldeep Yadav and Varun Chakravarthy frequently imagine a big rip from beyond the off-stump or a missile that goes past the batter in a flash, but there was no magic like that.
However, Axar is not a sorcerer like them. He is a formidable bowler, even on advantageous pitches like the one at the Premadasa, because to his astute observational abilities and clever length adjustments. Axar avoided Usman’s shimmy by bringing his length back just that much. From behind the stumps, Kishan completed the task with ease while the Pakistani wicketkeeper batsman could only swish in hope.
“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. 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,” PTI quoted Axar explaining his method in the post-match press conference.
Axar had also ended an edgy 16-minute stay of Babar Azam just before that. The 32-year-old snuck in a longer ball on the off-stump, sensing the Babar’s mounting frustration, and the former captain of Pakistan fell for it. Babar lost his stumps after a frantic slog sweep meant to relieve the increasing pressure.
“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. 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,” PTI quoted Amrish Patel, childhood coach of Axar, as saying.
Even though his skill with the willow was not needed against Pakistan, Axar maintains that adaptable mindset in his batting as well. But more than his batting position or the number of runs he scores, Axar is still focused on following management’s instructions. In white-ball formats, Axar has batted at positions ranging from No. 4 to No. 8. Axar took a slightly different approach to the uncertainty, whereas many batters enjoy a certain level of assurance around their batting slots.
“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.
However, for the time being, Axar the bowler, whom India needs more in the T20 World Cup, will be happy to take a backseat to Axar the batter.
