DNA Exclusive: Not going overboard, sticking to basics - Axar Patel

Axar Patel’s statistics in IPL 2020 have been an eye-grabber. With the bat, he has the third-best strike-rate among batsmen who have played more than 10 games for Delhi Capitals in this tournament with 142. To put that into broader perspective, he bats at number seven. With the ball, he has been a revelation. Although Axar Patel has just taken eight wickets, his economy rate of 6.46 is the best in the Delhi Capitals side and third-best among bowlers in IPL 2020 behind Rashid Khan and Washington Sundar. In IPL 2019, his strike-rate was 125 and his economy rate was over seven.

What has changed in the last one year for Axar Patel, who has become Mr. Dependable in IPL 2020 for Delhi Capitals? In an exclusive interview with DNA from Abu Dhabi, Axar Patel revealed that he did not make any major changes but he tweaked his focus and priorities.

“I don't believe I have made any major changes with my bowling in specific. However, I have learned a lot in this period from last season to this season. I think I have learned to back my strengths as much as possible. A couple of years back, I used to try a lot of things with my bowling and would always want to go overboard with variations and my pace, but now I'm more focused on sticking to the basics, rather than bringing variations which are out of my merits,” Axar Patel said.

Axar Patel may have a poor average but that is because he bats lower down the order. However, his batting cannot be discredited. In the game against Chennai Super Kings, his onslaught on Ravindra Jadeja in the final over in which he hit three sixes helped Delhi Capitals seal a memorable win. In Qualifier 1 against Mumbai Indians, he and Marcus Stoinis were the only notable contributors with the bat.

When asked whether he neglected his batting, Axar was quick to dismiss that notion. “I'm an all-rounder who comes to bat lower down the order but I don't think I've ever neglected my batting. I have always been a team player who is ready to take on any role which my team wants me to play, both with the bat and the bowl. Whenever I get the chance to bat, I try to do the best for my team. I have always enjoyed batting and if you see, I've been able to play some crucial knocks over the years both domestically and internationally and I just intend to keep doing that. I want to always keep improving in all aspects of my game, and batting is certainly something I focus on. You could see that when we faced Mumbai the other day in Qualifier 1 - Stoin (Marcus Stoinis) and I were striking the ball well, but unfortunately we couldn't be successful,” Axar Patel said.

COVID break helped

The coronavirus pandemic stalled all cricket in India and the world for close to four months. This gave the players much needed break and also a chance to hone their skills. For Axar Patel, the coronavirus break helped him change his approach towards his game and also gave him the chance to relax his mind.

“It (coronavirus lockdown) definitely helped me in changing my approach towards the game. Though I couldn't do much practically during the lockdown, I kept my mind-frame normal and was always trying to think about various things. I was also analyzing my performances and what the past couple of years have been like for me personally. As soon as we started training post lockdown and after reaching Dubai, I felt more relaxed and just focused on my skills and making sure I was sharp before the tournament began. I was confident and had a very positive thought process both during and after the lockdown,” Axar Patel said.

With Delhi Capitals having lost six out of seven IPL playoff games as well as five out of the last six clashes in IPL 2020, they head into the match against Sunrisers Hyderabad as underdogs. However, Axar Patel believes that regardless of the result, their careers have been reshaped in a pivotal way due to the presence of Ricky Ponting, the former Australia captain and coach of the side.

“We are a team full of younger and experienced players, who are keen to do something great in this game, and the likes of Ricky Ponting and other senior players are some way or the other playing a pivotal role in shaping our careers. They are setting an example and holding the team together during testing times. We saw, how our team bounced back from the four consecutive defeats, and I believe it is a by-product of it. Shikhi Bhai (Shikhar Dhawan), Ash (Ravichandran Ashwin) and Jinks (Ajinkya Rahane) contributed from their experience in the team's victory against RCB, which was a do-or-die match,” Axar Patel said.