Axar Patel is now a member of India’s T20I leadership group after the selectors named him vice-captain for next month’s T20 World Cup. The all-rounder spoke to TOI on a range of topics ahead of the big ICC tournament. Excerpts:With the T20 World Cup around the corner, the next two months will be big for you…
“This journey started from the previous edition of the T20 World Cup. I’ve been maturing day by day as a cricketer. I understand better what I need to do in situations. Becoming captain of Delhi Capitals helped me understand my growth as a person. I got to know more about game awareness, like how to use players in different situations. A combination of confidence and clear mindset has made my journey smooth over the last two years. The reward is that I am also in the leadership group now.”You were part of the 2015 WC team but didn’t get a game, then missed out on the 2021 T20 WC and 2023 ODI WC after initially being named…“Those days were very difficult for me. Whatever I am today is because of those days. I made a comeback in the team in 2021 after I was dropped in 2018. During that phase I started identifying what I needed to do as a sportsperson, like staying positive in tough situations. Because all those things happened to me, I knew what to do in the last T20 World Cup final when I went out to bat under pressure. I was very calm.”(Axar scored 47 off 31 balls batting at No. 5 in the 2024 T20 WC final against South Africa.)Did that T20 WC final help you shed the image of being a backup choice for all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja?“Absolutely. Since then or just before the T20 World Cup, I have never been seen as a replacement for Jaddu bhai. A spot was created for me. Jaddu bhai and I started playing together. I was never competing with Jaddu bhai. When I used to practice, I used to think what else I could add to my game so that they could never drop me. After the T20 WC final, I never thought I would be dropped again.”Axar the batsman has also been given greater responsibility…“I started as a batter but became a full-time spinner when I reached the NCA. In my early days I didn’t do well with the bat and started doubting myself. When I got dropped in 2018, I worked very hard on my batting. When MS Dhoni was mentor of the 2021 WC team, he told me that in my earlier days, under his captaincy, I put pressure on myself by thinking I had to perform all the time, rather than simply believing that I was a capable batter. Slowly I started implementing what Mahi bhai had told me and I regained my confidence.”How do you see your role in a flexible batting lineup?“If I’ve been sent up the order, that means the team trusts me and I have the talent to perform this role. When I go out to bat, I don’t think I am a floater. The team management tells me that I’m not sent to blindly accelerate the scoring or play out a difficult spell or target a particular spinner. I am given a role like any other specialist batter.”You come across as a happy-go-lucky character…“My nature is to be a fun-loving guy, but when you’re a senior player or in a leadership group, you have to draw a line. I believe in keeping a fun environment but it shouldn’t happen that people around you take it for granted. On the ground, it’s serious business. Yes, I do have fun in interviews but my teammates also know when there is work, I do it very seriously.”How do you switch off?“Hanging out with friends or chatting. I have a me-time which is very personal to me when I completely switch off. I lie on my bed. I don’t really watch content. Sometimes, I browse YouTube to follow the PUBG mobile tournament. I don’t play much but I try to follow who is doing well in the tournament. I avoid watching things related to cricket. I’ve started to like Korean drama recently.”Do you prefer watching videos of your performances from the past?“I don’t like to watch my previous performances but I watch clips of my better efforts when a tournament is about to start. I try to remember what I was doing and what my mindset was. A lot of changes happen to your game involuntarily. Once in a while, I take out an hour to see the differences, if any.”(The interaction was facilitated by JSW Sports.)
