Axar Patel is the perfect candidate for Delhi Capitals (DC) captaincy in the longer run, opined Sunil Gavaskar after the all-rounder led the DC team to a 7-run win over Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) on April 24 in Hyderabad.
Axar, who is currently the vice-captain to David Warner, who is captaining the side in the absence of Rishabh Pant, contributed with both the bat and the ball at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Uppal to first made 34 to help DC make 144/9 and then picked two wickets to keep DC to 137/6 and win the match by 7 runs.
Warner has led the team from the front even as the results have not gone their way in the season. Delhi Capitals have managed to win 2 matches on the bounce but it came only after 5 successive defeats. David Warner’s strike rate (119) has come under the scanner even as the Australian star has scored 306 runs in 7 matches for the Capitals.
Axar Patel Should Be Appointed The Captain Of Delhi Capitals: Sunil Gavaskar
However, Axar Patel has made good use of the limited opportunities he has got in IPL 2023, scoring 182 runs at a strike rate of 135. He has been in superb batting form since last year, helping India win a few matches with the bat as well.
Seeing such performances, Sunil Gavaskar said that Axar Patel is a potential candidate to lead Delhi Capitals in the near future, lauding his consistent performances with both bat and ball in the recent past.
“I believe Axar Patel should be appointed the captain of Delhi Capitals. He is an honest player. He’s in a good rhythm. The Indian team can benefit from him being named the captain of the franchise and performing well. All these things should be done in a long run,” Gavaskar told Star Sports Cricket Live.
In the recent Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test series against Australia at home, Axar hit 264 runs in 4 matches in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, becoming India’s 2nd highest run-getter after Virat Kohli in the high-octane 4-Test series.