Axar Patel opens up on being a floater during T20 World Cup

All-rounder Axar Patel played a vital role in India’s success in the recently concluded T20 World Cup. He delivered with the bat whenever required and picked nine wickets at an economy of 7.86 in eight matches. Axar also built a crucial 52-run partnership with Virat Kohli in the all-important final after being promoted up the order, which helped the Men in Blue take control after a shaky start.

The southpaw revealed that he only learned about his promotion moments before walking out to bat in the final. He added that he wasn’t nervous and went with the mentality of ‘see the ball, hit the ball’. Axar also talked about how players prefer a certain position to bat but he was given the role of a floater and he saw positives in that as whenever the team needed someone to step up, the management promoted him.

“Every batsman likes to have a fixed batting position because it becomes a bit easy for him to plan for his role. But as a floater, I feel that the captain and coach trust you which is why they are sending you in tough situations. I am taking that in a positive way,” Axar was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.

Axar also talked about his improvement as a batter in recent years. The team management also understands that and for the same reason, he has been picked up for the ODI series against Sri Lanka, ahead of veteran Ravindra Jadeja.

“When the team needs someone to stand up, they are banking on me to deliver. That means they have seen something in me. When the team trusts you to deliver in such crunch situations, you start trusting yourself even more automatically. And once you deliver in one or two matches, it gives your confidence a different sort of boost altogether,” he added.