Axar Patel Was Confident Of Bowling The Super Over Against SRH In IPL 2021

May 26, 2021 at 1:35 PM

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Axar Patel Was Confident Of Bowling The Super Over Against SRH In IPL 2021

Axar Patel, Delhi Capitals spinner said that he was confident of doing a good job because the Chennai pitch was assisting the spinners.

The initial phase of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 was extremely tough for Delhi Capitals spinner Axar Patel. He had tested positive for Covid-19 before the tournament kicked off. His sour health kept didn’t let him play the first four matches for Delhi. However, when he returned in the fifth encounter against Sunrisers Hyderabad in Chennai, he stole the show with his terrific bowling in the Super Over.

Axar Patel during the Super Over against SRH in IPL 2021 match no. 20(IPL)
Axar Patel during the Super Over against SRH in IPL 2021 match no. 20(IPL)

Axar Patel Was Confident Of Bowling The Super Over Since The Pitch Was Aiding The Spinners

The match was tied after Sunrisers posted 159/7 while chasing. While the DC think tank was busy discussing who would bowl the Super Over, Axar Patel himself approached captain Rishabh Pant and expressed confidence that he could do the job without conceding more runs. While speaking in an interview with India TV, the left-arm spinner said that he was confident of doing a good job because the Chennai pitch was assisting the spinners.

“Because the pitch was aiding spinners, I thought I or Ashwin would be bowling the Super Over. But then I saw the think tank gathered around Avesh Khan. When I asked (Steve) Smith, he told me that Avesh will bowl the Super Over.

“I was confident that I could do better than Avesh under the conditions. I then went up to Rishabh (Pant) and said that I can bowl the Super Over without conceding many runs. Pant consulted coach Ricky (Ponting), and he gave the captain the freedom to take the final call,” Axar told India TV.

“I knew I could either become a hero or a zero. For a few moments, my heartbeat did increase. But I had the confidence and mental strength to pull me through,” he added.

Ricky Ponting, Rishabh Pant. [Source: The SportsRush]
Ricky Ponting, Rishabh Pant. [Source: The SportsRush]
Axar Patel also spoke about his battle against Covid-19. The spinner said that he was worried about how would he perform once he returns post-recovery.

“Many thoughts were going through my mind. I was in good form and then suddenly this COVID thing happened. I was also worried if COVID would affect my rhythm and how my body would respond after the battle with the virus,” said Axar.

“In the first match itself, my COVID recovery was put to test, as I bowled the Super Over against Sunrisers Hyderabad. After that, I became more confident as my rhythm was intact.”

The left-arm orthodox spinner endured a memorable Test debut as he racked up as many as 27 wickets across just three Test matches during the home series against England earlier this year. Axar Patel had already made an impact in the game versus Sunrisers Hyderabad by notching up figures of 2/26 in four overs.

However, the left-arm orthodox spinner wasn’t done yet. On a pitch that was aiding the bowlers, Axar Patel was confident of doing well in the Super Over and so he approached captain Rishabh Pant to allow him to bowl it instead of the initially chosen Avesh Khan.

Axar Patel Who Took 2 Scalps In SRH’s Innings Conceded Only 7 Runs In Super Over And Contributed To Delhi Capitals’ Win

Axar Patel backed up with his words with his performances as he gave away just 7 runs against the duo of David Warner and Kane Williamson and the target was eventually knocked off by Rishabh Pant and Shikhar Dhawan. Prior to the Super Over finish, Axar Patel had turned the tie on its head by getting the better of Abhishek Sharma and Rashid Khan in the 17th over.

Axar Patel
Axar Patel[photo: Twitter]
Axar Patel has been selected in Team India’s squad for the World Test Championship final and the five-match series against England. Axar Patel picked 6 scalps in 4 games in IPL 2021 before the league was postponed indefinitely. He had 86 scalps in 101 IPL games averaging 29.86 besides scoring 913 runs.

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