Indian all-rounder Axar Patel admitted he never thought he would be dropped after the T20 World Cup 2024 final against South Africa. Patel played a brilliant knock of 47 runs off just 31 balls against the Proteas while batting at number five.
The left-hander added a crucial alliance of 72 runs with Virat Kohli in the T20I showpiece final after he joined forces with the latter in the fifth over of the innings.
When asked if that knock helped him come out of Ravindra Jadeja’s shadow, Axar Patel said on TOI, “Absolutely. Since then or just before the T20 World Cup, I have never been seen as a replacement for Jaddu bhai. A spot was created for me. Jaddu bhai and I started playing together. I was never competing with Jaddu bhai. When I used to practice, I used to think what else I could add to my game so that they could never drop me. After the T20 WC final, I never thought I would be dropped.”
Patel gave credit to former Indian captain MS Dhoni for giving him the confidence that he has the right capability to succeed with the bat.
“I started as a batter but became a full-time spinner when I reached the NCA. In my early days I didn’t do well with the bat and started doubting myself. When I got dropped in 2018, I worked very hard on my batting. When MS Dhoni was mentor of the 2021 WC team, he told me that in my earlier days, under his captaincy, I put pressure on myself by thinking I had to perform all the time, rather than simply believing that I was a capable batter. Slowly I started implementing what Mahi bhai had told me and I regained my confidence.”
Patel has received batting promotions on numerous occasions depending on match situations, but said he never considers himself a floater.
“If I’ve been sent up the order, that means the team trusts me and I have the talent to perform this role. When I go out to bat, I don’t think I am a floater. The team management tells me that I’m not sent to blindly accelerate the scoring or play out a difficult spell or target a particular spinner. I am given a role like any other specialist batter.”
Patel has been appointed as the vice-captain in the T20 World Cup squad.
