India all-rounder Axar Patel disclosed how a pivotal piece of advice from the legendary Mahendra Singh Dhoni in 2021 significantly influenced his career turnaround.
Axar recalled the conversation he had with Dhoni in October 2021, during the former captain’s trip to the United Arab Emirates as the Indian team’s mentor for the T20 World Cup.
The left-arm spinner, who was selected as the T20 World Cup reserve, was having trouble securing a spot in the Indian squad and decided to speak with Dhoni about how to take his career to the next level.
“Mahi bhai, in international cricket, I have not been able to prove myself exactly what I can do, especially in batting more than bowling. You have seen me for a long time. What can I do?” a PTI report quoted Axar telling ESPNCricinfo.
Dhoni pointed out that repeated dismissals to good deliveries had left Axar battling a fear of failure.
“When you came in, you were 19 years old. A few times, you were out early, facing yorkers. I remember watching you get lbw early on to a ball from Dale Steyn that cut in (during an ODI in 2015),” Axar recalled Dhoni as saying.
Dhoni further told the all-rounder: “‘All these things are not leaving your mind – at times you have got out to a good ball, but you are stuck thinking about those failures. When you go to IPL, where you have made runs, you never think about all these things, but as soon as you return to play internationals, you start saying or thinking I have to prove this. I have to tell this person this. I have to play this way’.”
“So the way you play in domestic freely and make runs in IPL, when you go to internationals, settle down, take singles and doubles, become comfortable and then attack. Play your game. Do not go with the burden that if I get out, I will be a failure if I don’t make runs again, because I am playing as an all-rounder. Thinking on those lines, you are adding pressure on yourself.”
Axar recalled that after being dropped from the squad in 2018, he put a lot of effort into improving his “batting, bowling, fitness, everything” before being summoned back in 2021. The all-rounder put in a lot of hard work over these three years for India A, the IPL, and domestic competitions.
“My mind also. I understood that despite not doing anything wrong, I have not been or am not being selected for whatever reason. So what can I do? What can I focus on? Obviously, there was domestic cricket and IPL, so I performed consistently there. The performances in Ranji Trophy, India A and IPL helped me grow in my role, and when I got the call in 2021, things changed,” he added.
His batting stats have improved after his recall: in 123 games and 99 innings, he has amassed 1,983 runs at an average of 26.79 and a strike rate of 79.41, with eight fifties and a top score of 84. He has also performed admirably for India in all formats. In addition, he has five five-wicket hauls, a ten-wicket haul, and 161 wickets at an average of 23.27.
Axar was always good with the ball, but he has become more reliable with the bat. He can play in the top six or down the order as a spin basher, stabilizer, or pinch hitter.
