Axar Patel
India's unsung World Cup hero
One primary reason for India's success in the T20 WC was the presence of three genuine allrounders - Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, and Axar Patel - in the lineup. After remaining in the shadows of the other two popular allrounders, Axar Patel emerged into the limelight with stellar performances in this World Cup.
Axar, affectionately known as Bapu, has been a linchpin in India's stellar home test cricket winning run since 2021. He has been a constant thorn in opponents' side, often rescuing Indian batting from collapses and picking off their batters like ripe grapes. Despite not being a regular in the Indian white-ball unit, India's decision to load up on spinners for the tournament provided the perfect opening for Axar to play alongside Jadeja. Axar seized this opportunity and repaid the team's faith in him with match-winning performances with the bat, ball, and in the field, showcasing the depth of India's planning and strategy.
A priceless 47 in the finals
Under the management of Rahul Dravid and Rohit Sharma, Axar Patel's batting skills have been strategically utilized. Based on the match circumstances, he has been consistently sent to bat higher up the order. A notable instance was in a tricky run chase in Bangladesh, where he played a crucial knock against high-quality spin bowling, showcasing the impact of his batting on the team's performance.
When India lost three quick wickets in the finals, struggling at 34 for 3, Axar walked in to partner Virat. The game plan from then on was for Virat to rotate the strike and Axar to go after the bowling. In a T20 game, a few dry overs are enough to injure the batting team fatally. Axar would not let the Indian team be hurt. Axar struck timely sixers and boundaries off spinners and pacers alike to keep the South African bowlers under pressure. His six off Rabada was the best among the lot. It was a travesty that Axar lost his wicket to a careless run out after being so calculated and vigilant at the crease all through his innings. However, his 47 runs off 31 balls ensured that India stayed in the hunt and managed to pile up a good score of 176. Many fans on X (Twitter) remembered Rohit Sharma's 47 of 31 in the CWC 2023 finals, which went to waste. They expressed happiness that this knock of Axar went on to win the championship for the country, a moment that made every Indian cricket fan proud.
Match winning spell in the semifinals
Axar's best performance of 3 wickets for 23 came in the crucial semifinals against England. Axar has been a chief tormentor for England on spinning tracks since his debut. In this match, he began his run by dismissing Jos Buttler, England's best batter. Jos Buttler was going after the Indian bowling in the power play, looking for quick runs. Rohit brought in Axar to change the game's pace and made Jos play an injudicious reverse sweep to a ball too full in length. Axar followed up Buttler's wicket with the dismissal of his bunny, Johnny Bairstow. As a repeat of Bairstow's earlier dismissals, Johnny missed the arm ball from Axar playing for the turn and got his timbers knocked down. Soon after, Axar removed the dangerous Moen Ali, stumped by Rishabh Pant. This spell of Axar finished the fight in the English batting order and ensured India's march to the grand finale in Barbados.
A catch plucked out of thin air
T20 World Cup 2024 will be remembered for two magnificent catches in the deep. One is Surya Kumar Yadav's fantastic display of athleticism and jugglery in the finals. The other is Axar's leopard-like leaping catch in the deep square leg boundary during the India vs Australia Super 8s match.
Australia was going great guns at 87 for 1, chasing India's 205. Mitchell Marsh and Travis Head shredded the Indian bowling attack, and an Australian win looked likely. At this point, Kuldeep Yadav bowled a shortish ball to Marsh, who pulled it with great power to send it over the deep square leg boundary for a six. However, Axar leapt high into the air like a big cat and intercepted that bullet of a shot with his thin hands. The ball stuck in his right hand, and Axar fell joyfully to the ground, having caught his prey mid-flight; this one was for the National Geographic channel, not a sports channel! Upon seeing this catch, our minds went back to 1996, when Adam Bacher took a similar catch off Sachin Tendulkar to end that memorable innings at Cape Town.
Heinrich Klassen smashed Axar's final over in the World Cup for 24 runs, almost ruining India's party. Had India lost in the finals, all the great work of Axar would have been forgotten, and his one bad over would have ruined all those memories. Thankfully, India won the finals and ensured that India's new-age Bapu too will be remembered forever.