Axar Patel: From Journeyman To India's Man Friday In White-Ball Formats

Kane Williamson stood between India and an all-win record in the Champions Trophy group stage, keeping New Zealand's chase of 250 flickering with a polished 81. Till then batting judiciously, Williamson gave a full-hearted charge against Axar Patel and the slightly slanted delivery evaded his downcoming bat for KL Rahul to complete the stumping. It was the last ball of Axar's spell that read 10-0-32-1, and stood out for its accuracy and the cunningness to maximise his ability in favourable conditions. But the effort understandably went unnoticed in the din surrounding fellow spinner Varun Chakravarthy's five-wicket haul.

But it is nothing new for Axar, as he once was labelled mercilessly as ‘poor man's Jadeja' for the similarity in his skills — a left-arm spin bowler and a left-handed batter.

However, it was true that Axar was struggling to break free from the shadow of his illustrious senior teammate. The only way Axar could have cut open a path for himself was to improve his batting skills, and he started making a conscious effort in 2022.

An unbeaten 64 against the West Indies in Barbados gave him the necessary confidence in his own abilities.

It was the breakaway point for him, and Axar admitted it.

“After that match against the West Indies, I knew I could finish games. As soon as I gained that self-belief, I didn't think much about whether I wanted to show batting to anyone or not,” he said.

But even then, promoting Axar to No. 5 ahead of KL Rahul, who averages over 50 in that slot with five hundreds, was a massive risk, but a decision the management was confident in.

Axar started batting at No. 5 regularly from the second ODI against Sri Lanka at Colombo last year, and made an immediate impression with a 44.

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