Axar Patel made a great comeback to the Delhi Capitals team after been sidelined due to coronavirus and helped the side to a dramatic win vs Sunrisers Hyderabad.
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Axar Patel made a dramatic comeback to the Delhi Capitals side after being sidelined due to the coronavirus pandemic. The left-arm pacer bowled economically and kept the Sunrisers Hyderabad batsmen quiet. However, Kane Williamson was in fine form and he scored a magnificent fifty. With 43 off 24 balls, Sunrisers Hyderabad were in a great position. However, Axar took the wickets of Abhishek Sharma and Rashid Khan in quick succession to tilt the game in favour of Delhi Capitals.
Williamson and Jagadeesha Suchith took the attack to the Delhi Capitals and the match was tied. In the Super Over, Axar bowled brilliantly and conceded just seven runs as Delhi Capitals won a thriller off the last ball. Axar bowled the super over and he made a surprising revelation about why he bowled.
“When I was in the dressing room, I knew that the pitch would assist spinners. There were a lot of discussions. We thought initially that we could go with a pacer since they will be sending a left-right combination. After that, just when we were going to the ground, I thought, even a spinner could be effective. So I told Rishabh ‘Even I can bowl, think about it’. So he spoke to Ricky and it was decided at the last moment that I will bowl,” Axar said.
Axar had missed the first four games of IPL 2021 after he was laid low by COVID-19. However, he had four bowling sessions before the game against Sunrisers Hyderabad. He looked in rhythm and it showed in the game. However, Axar says he did not want to focus on the period when he spent 20 days in the room recovering from COVID-19.
“I was carrying that confidence. I wasn’t thinking too much about COVID … obviously, it was a frustrating phase. My teammates were also calling me up and talking to me. I was only looking at the positives. I didn’t want to think too much about how I would perform after returning. There was no thought whether my batting or bowling would be affected. I worked a bit on my basics and I spent some time in the nets. The freedom I wanted in my bowling, I got that from my four sessions. I realised then that I was ready with my body and mentally,” Axar said.
Delhi Capitals will now play at the Narendra Modi stadium in Ahmedabad, a venue where Axar took 20 wickets in the two Tests against England in February.
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