Axar Patel sustained a quadriceps injury during the Asia Cup, causing him to miss the World Cup. However, he claims to have worked on his bowling while undergoing rehabilitation at the NCA and has seen an improvement of “5 to 10 per cent”.
“It was an unfortunate injury, but not my first. My focus during rehab was on enhancing my game. At the NCA, I dedicated a lot of time to improving my bowling. I have consciously worked to increase my bowling performance by 5 to 10 per cent,” Axar Patel told reporters after the match. “Against Australia, I have started to vary my pace and use the crease. As a left-arm spinner, I have limited variation options, and I can’t bowl googlies like a leg-spinner,” he said.
Axar’s performance of 2 for 23 was achieved on a flat Mohali wicket. The 29-year-old confessed to having changed his mindset in T20 cricket as well.
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“I am not thinking about the economy anymore. My mindset is how can I attack more. I have got the confidence… more about taking wickets than bowling economically,” he said.
Regarding the cold conditions in Mohali and the wicket, Axar commented: “There was no help from the pitch, and the weather was harsh. My goal was to stick to my strength and wait for the batters to go after me. I bowled a tight line and got the wickets as the batters took chances. As a bowler, you can’t do much on this pitch.”
When asked about the difference between the captaincy of Rohit Sharma and Hardik Pandya, the all-rounder said: “I don’t think there are many differences. Both of them have given me the freedom to execute my plans. They only interfere when my plan doesn’t work.”