‘I think that’s why we didn’t play those two matches’: Axar Patel on not playing every match in the T20 World Cup | Cricket News –

MUMBAI: The North Stand of the Wankhede Stadium gave Axar Patel a standing ovation as he settled into his long-time field position. The applause was well deserved. In the space of about 40 minutes, Axar produced a game-changing fielding effort that will be etched in Indian cricket folklore, just like Kapil Dev’s catch in the 1983 World Cup final and Suryakumar Yadav’s effort in the 2024 T20 World Cup summit match.The 32-year-old had already nailed Phil Salt’s red card when he produced the moment that lifted the team’s morale and energized the fans. It started when Jasprit Bumrah fooled Harry Brook with a slower delivery off the first ball of his spell. The England captain crossed the ball, which looked set to land safely in deep cover. Positioned inside the ring, Axar thought he could make it. He sprinted backwards with his eyes fixed on the ball, judged the trajectory perfectly and lunged forward to complete a spectacular leap two inches off the ground.

The second attempt came in the 14th minute and swung the match decisively in India’s favour. Jacob Bethell and Will Jacks put together a threatening 77-run standoff from 39 balls for the fifth wicket.Jacks clipped a full toss from Arshdeep Singh towards deep point, and once again the ball hung in the air. Axar, who was patrolling the boundary, raced off, kept his balance, and just as he appeared to have lost control, bowled Shivam Diop before crossing the boundary, reducing England to 172/5.

In between those attempts, Axar also used his cunning with the ball, slowing down the pace of dismissing Tom Banton, who was scoring at a strike rate of over 350. He could have committed another long-on to dismiss Bethell as he approached his century, but the chance slipped away and went out of bounds.India’s line-up has been a concern in the T20 World Cup, as they were dropped by 13 points heading into the semi-finals. But led by Axar, the team put up a solid show on the field, clinging to every chance – a positive sign ahead of Sunday’s final against New Zealand in Ahmedabad.When asked which of the two catches he admires the most, Axar responded with good humour, saying, “The ball decided to come after me.” He added that Brooke’s arrest was difficult but Jack’s sacking was more important because she broke a dangerous partnership.Axar may not carry the aura of some of his teammates and may be overlooked at times. He had to hand over the vice-captainship of the T20 team to Shubman Gill during the 2025 Asia Cup and was benched for two matches in this tournament at his home stadium, the Narendra Modi Stadium, against the Netherlands and South Africa.However, Naib Suriya has always been a team man. He spent those games in the dugout holding drinks, cheering on his teammates and patiently waiting for his chance — something he did his entire career. Axar has taken eight wickets with his left-arm spin in six matches at an economy rate of 8.09, which is second best among Indian bowlers after Bumrah’s 6.62.The Gujarat pacer also had to wait to play the ICC tournament at home, after missing the 2023 World Cup due to injury.

With Axar confirmed for Sunday’s final, he is keen to play in front of his home crowd – with his son watching live for the “first time”.“I think that’s the reason why I didn’t play those two matches (as I had to play the final), because that’s very important to me,” Axar said. “I have been waiting for many years to play in front of my family on my home turf. It is a very proud moment. Two years later, I will be playing on my home turf – and that too in the ICC World Cup final.”On social media, which described the Ahmedabad stadium as a “jinx”, Axar responded with a smile: “I did not play that match (the 2023 World Cup final), so now I think the jinx will be broken!”