Indian captain Hardik Pandya won the toss and elected to bowl in the second T20I against Sri Lanka. Batting first, the Sri Lankan team scored 206 runs for the loss of 6 wickets. The Indian team entered the field with the target of winning if they score 207 runs.
After losing five wickets in the first 10 overs, Axar Patel, who came into the field, hit sixes. Axar Patel and Suryakumar Yadav combined to increase the team’s run rate. Axar Patel hit a hat-trick of sixes and scored a half-century in 20 balls. He scored a maximum of 65 runs off 31 balls (3 fours, 6 sixes) and was dismissed in the last over. Although the Indian team lost in this match, Axar Patel showed his excellent performance.
All-rounder Axar Patel made his T20 International debut in 2015 against Zimbabwe. Aksar, who has played 39 matches in international T20 matches so far, has taken 38 wickets and 267 runs. He has scored only single digit runs in his last 10 T20Is. His highest career score (65) (this match). In the first T20 match against Sri Lanka, he scored 31 runs in 20 balls without losing the game.
Even if the batsmen of the Indian team do not play well, the opposition always has the fear that the bowlers will also play aggressively and make the team win. This has been reported by many leading players in the world. Axar Patel gave that fear to the opponents in yesterday’s game as well.
In 2021, he disappointed in the matches against New Zealand and England. But the Indian team won the three-match T20I series against Australia in September 2022. Axar Patel is undoubtedly the most important reason for this success. He took 8 wickets in these three T20 matches as if the Indian team cannot be easily defeated at home.
With this victory, the Indian team created the record of being the No. 1 T20 team in the world. Like yesterday’s match, in the one-day match against the West Indies in September 2022, when the batsmen of the Indian team were out consecutively, Axar Patel was the only one who stood on the field and hit 5 sixes and 3 fours to win the team. He was unbeaten on 64 runs off 35 balls in this match.
Axar Patel was criticized for playing in the Indian team as he did not play well in the series held in 2021. But Axar Patel has proved through these two games that I can play well in batting and bowling.
Subsequently, he scored 14 runs and took 5 wickets in the first Test against Bangladesh in December 2022. In the second Test, he scored 38 runs and took three wickets. He also scored 56 runs in the second ODI against Bangladesh and 20 runs in the third ODI, taking 2 wickets. As far as the Indian team is concerned, even though the top 5 batsmen of the team are missing, the bowlers who can come in next will show action and make the team win. Axar Patel is the best all-rounder in the Indian team after Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin.
Although he did not perform well in the T20 World Cup, he did well in the Bangladesh series. He has returned to form through these games and is part of the Delhi Capitals team in the 2023 IPL series. Fans are hoping that Axar Patel will perform well in this series of three T20Is and three ODIs against Sri Lanka. And after this series, New Zealand team and Australia team will tour India successively. Apart from this, the Indian team is going to tour the West Indies in August. The top performers in these series are also likely to qualify for the 2023 Asia Cup to be held in September.
Depending on Axar Patel’s performance in these matches, there will be a chance to play in the World Cup series to be held in November. Let’s hope that Axar Patel, who is always shining in the opportunities that come his way, will make it possible.
