India's Axar Patel celebrates with captain Rohit Sharma the wicket of Afghanistan's batter Rahmanullah Gurbaz during the first T20I cricket match between India and Afghanistan, in Mohali, Thursday, Jan. 11, 2024. (PTI Photo)Axar Patel suffered a quadriceps injury during the Asia Cup and missed the World Cup, but he says he has worked on his bowling during rehabilitation at the NCA and has added “5 to 10 per cent”.
“It was an unfortunate injury, but it was not the first time I was injured. My mindset during the rehab is how I can improve my game. In the NCA, I worked a lot on my bowling. I have worked consciously to add 5 to 10 per cent in my bowling,” Axar Patel told the reporters after the match. “Against Australia, I have started varying my pace and started using the crease. As a left-arm spinner, you don’t have much variation, I can’t bowl googlies like a leg-spinner,” he said.
Axar’s 2 for 23 was on a flat Mohali wicket. The 29-year-old admitted that he has also changed his mindset in T20 cricket.
Axar dikhta yeh nazaara ✨, Bappu with the breakthrough phir doobara! ☝️🤩#IDFCFirstBankT20ITrophy #JioCinemaSports #GiantsMeetGameChangers #INDvAFG pic.twitter.com/vRe2YWZBpw
— JioCinema (@JioCinema) January 11, 2024
“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.
On the cold conditions in Mohali and the wicket, Axar said: “There was no help from the pitch, the weather was also very harsh. My aim 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 a chance. As a bowler, you can’t do much on this pitch,” he said.
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.”
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