Axar Patel, the goofball with gumption: Winning like a skilled all-rounder – baaki gayu tel leva

It was something he did again as recently as in the second ODI in Australia. With Virat Kohli and Shubman Gill out cheaply, the team’s Man Friday played firefighter once more. He didn’t disappoint his team, scoring a 41-ball 44.

But that day in Lavari, Axar spoke about his most famous rescue act. He painted a vivid picture of the helter-skelter dressing room and shared the hilarious last-minute advice that Hardik Pandya gave him in pure unrefined Gujarati. He also gave a glimpse of his mind space that he methodically keeps uncluttered so that his priceless self-belief doesn’t stumble upon unwanted worrying thoughts.

During the laugh-riot, Axar would drop his guard. There would be a question about his 8-month-old son and he would turn into a doting new dad rather than some obsessively-driven pro.

It was a candid reply, expected from a first-time parent. “Winning the World Cup is an important joy of life … but when I first saw my son … I thought ‘baaki gayu tel leva’.” The rest can go to hell – being the closest translation of the famous Gujarati phrase Axar used for his mic-drop moment of the evening.

By now, the crowd was eating out of his hand. Axar is incrementally gaining street cred but does he fit the mould designed by the game’s global marketeers? He might have world-class bowling, batting and fielding skills but does he have the attributes to be a brand? Will he too end up like Ravindra Jadeja, easily Indian cricket’s most under-appreciated superstar, who got less from Indian cricket and its fans than what he gave?

Fears are he might since Indian cricket’s hype-machine might not get excited by Axar-kind of cricketers. For the modern-day spin doctors, he is too much of a boy-next-door to be bestowed the aura of a star, that too rooted to the place of his birth to have a national connection.

Besides, the suits are usually too preoccupied with lazy Ro-Ko promotions to see the virtues of the highly-skilled player with an Ax-factor and a focused approach to cricket.

Axar gave an insight into his unique preparation when talking about the T20 World Cup final knock. It also explains why Axar is rarely seen in the dugout when India is batting. The all-rounder, who these days has a floating role in the line-up, only watches the first over the innings to get an idea about the pitch and conditions. After that, he retreats into the dressing room. He does this to avoid getting influenced by other batsmen.

Axar gave his explanation. “I can’t see the match from the sidelines because I don’t like to take pressure upon myself by watching someone else bat. If one watches the game closely, one starts to speculate and have doubts. All this based on how someone else is playing.”

So that day in the Caribbean, Axar took his eyes off the game after the first over and went to the dressing room, where he was soon joined by opener Rohit Sharma who was out early. Rishabh Pant would follow soon. Rohit would ask Axar to pad up.

While the all-rounder reached for his kit-bag, a message reached him from the dugout. Even coach Rahul Dravid wanted him to be the next man in.

By the time he stepped out of the dressing room, with his helmet still in his hands, Suryakumar Yadav had been dismissed. So Axar kept walking to the field, leaving behind a tense change room.

That’s when he heard a familiar voice; it was his best mate Hardik chipping in with a tip that was just perfect for the moment.
“As I was walking, I heard Hardik say, ‘Koi tension na leto, bindaas ramje, tane lage tu maari deje, bus ramje shanti thi. (Don’t be tense, play freely, if you feel like playing your shots. The only thing is play with a peaceful mind).’”

Axar was facing fearsome South African pacer Kagiso Rabada. So what? As Hardik had said, he could strike the ball if he felt like it. So Axar chipped a ball that Rabada bowled on his legs for four. The anchor knows the story has climaxed, he chips in with a “rest is history” line.

Despite the dizzy heights that he has reached, Axar says he remains the boy who was once called ‘Jayasuriya of Nadiad’ on the local circuit. He still goes to the galla – the watering hole of most Gujarat towns where young men meet for kadak meethi chai. The star cricketer says he reminds his friends to treat him the way they used to.

“I tell them, bhai, gaado aapvi ho to aapi dejo (if you want to abuse me, please do),” he says. They have taken him up on his word. The other day, he had on his wrist a Rolex. One friend couldn’t help taking a dig at him. “Your watch shows 12 pm, so does mine, so what’s the difference,” he would ask him. Axar wears his stardom lightly and his friends ensure he stays grounded.
Not one to blow his own trumpet, there is a quiet confidence about Axar. He shows this trait in snatches.

He was asked how it is going at his IPL side Delhi Capitals? “All good, that’s why they made me captain,” he says. Who is your favourite international cricketer? “There is an international cricketer called Axar Patel,” he answers with a grin. He knows his worth, knows he deserves captaincy and is also his own favourite.

Towards the end of the show, they ask him for a message, and he is expected to sound profound. He delivers here too.

He talks about the benefits of hard work, the importance of trusting yourself, and the futility of getting influenced by others. “When you spend too much time watching what others are doing, you start thinking you aren’t doing that well. The trust goes,” he says and he finishes with another Gujarati saying. “You shouldn’t start breaking your hut after seeing someone else’s palace.”

For one final time, he breaks into a hearty laugh. They all applaud.

India needs to warm up to such all-rounders, value their worth and not dismiss them as utility cricketers. Head coach Gautam Gambhir came with the promise of breaking the team’s star culture, but it remains to be seen if popularity matches performance on field. And if those marketing cricket, start taking those who joke and laugh, seriously.