IND vs AUS: ‘Axar and Ashwin not lower-order batsmen; could bat in top six for most teams’ Nathan Lyon reaps praise

In Nagpur, they let them off the hook, from 240 for seven to 400. In Delhi, India were reeling at 138/7, before Ravi Ashwin and Axar Patel intervened and guided them to 262, ensuring that India remained in the game.When they united, the tide was riding against India. Australia were riding a wave of unstoppable intensity that it seemed like a matter of time before they blew away India and positioned them on pole to square the series. But Ashwin and Axar remained undaunted.

Axar later elaborated; “There was pressure, but we knew that if we hung around, we could put the pressure back on them. So we decided to bat normally, defend and make the most of the bad balls.”

No undue risks were taken, no silly shot was played, though they did not retreat into their shells. The highlight of their 114-run stand was how adeptly they dealt with Lyon, the most threatening bowler of the day. The big difference of the Kotla surface compared to Nagpur was the bounce the surface generated, which Lyon relished. “I really liked the bounce here, and enjoyed bowling,” he said.

But Axar and Ashwin had all the right answers to the questions Lyon posed. Not that Lyon bowled badly, though the old ball did not bounce as much, reducing his threat. but Axar and Ashwin negotiated him without many hassles, using the depth of the crease and trusting their defences.

With a chuckle, Axar would say: “We kept it simple. We just used our bowling brains. Being spinners ourselves, we knew the spinners’ psychology. We thought about how he (Lyon) would bowl in a similar situation. We would look to stop singles, hit tight lengths and build pressure. That’s all we did, we looked to take singles and punish the loose ball.”

That he has been defending the ball soundly swelled his confidence. “I think because I was able to defend off the middle, my confidence rose and then I was attacking balls that were in my slot,” he said.

So vital has been Axar’s contributions with the bat, and so few overs he has bowled in the series so far, that you would wonder whether he is in the team as a specialist batsman. Axar, though, would rue two missed hundreds. In the end, it took an outrageous catch to deny his maiden Test hundred. Axar had meatily connected a slog-sweep off Todd Murphy, only for Pat Cummins to lunge sideways and pluck a blinder.

But with another loud chuckle, he would say: “Last time, I was a little late when I decided to attack (the bowlers), and then got out (on 84) that’s why I thought of attacking much earlier. That’s why this time I attacked a bit early. But that (missing hundred) is not a problem. The runs were vital for the team.”

The biggest change in his batting, he says, is a change in  mindset. “It was about the mindset. There was a time when my concentration drifted after scoring 30. I was sort of happy with the 30s. But now I have learned to keep my focus even after I am past 30. That’s the reason I am scoring more runs these days,” he explains.

Regarding his utility as a batsman more than a bowler, he told the host broadcasters: “I have been asked if I’m a batting or bowling all-rounder. My answer is simple – if I score runs, I’m a batting all-rounder, if I get wickets I’m a bowling all-rounder.” And in recent times, he has been more of a batting than an bowling all-rounder