Axar Patel: unsafe or impossible to let go

Axar Patel was not supposed to be a sure starter to the season for Delhi Capitals. Last year, he had played 14 games for them and achieved an economy rate of 7.13 for 10 wickets. However, the Strike Rate of 30.6 showed it as a primarily defensive option. That number paled in comparison to other top-of-the-line spinners operating at the IPL except for Kuldeep Yadav. And while not poor enough to drop, it was not enough for what Delhi Capitals expected of him. With R Ashwin and Amit Mishra available this time around, there was a real chance that Axar would heat the benches longer.

But injuries to R Ashwin and then Amit Mishra meant he ended up missing just one game for them so far at IPL 2020. And within the eight games he has played, he went from uncertain to impossible to lose.

For starters, the strike rate has been improved beyond any doubt. Picking up seven wickets in eight games, along with an economy rate of 5.59 (the best for a spinning finger yet), the question marks on him have decreased with each game. Great control over changes of pace, lengths, and angles puts it in the category of finger-twirling and holding fast in the shortest format without any mystery. With considerable experience to boot, Axar allows himself to be a floater in the Delhi bowling lineup. You can bowl in power games or intermissions as the situation requires.

One of the key reasons for this improved hit rate is that Delhi has been able to combine its versatility with intelligence. Whether it’s certain matchups like firing Shane Watson in the first match against CSK or playing with the dimensions of the ground to catch players like Rohit Sharma and Moeen Ali on the longest side of the boundary, Axar has been able to deliver what that you have been asked.

And then some more.

While all the good work he has done has come without a flash, it was finally against CSK in Sharjah that Axar managed to regain the limelight, albeit through his second suit. Facing him in the final after Dwayne Bravo’s injury was Ravindra Jadeja.

The duo, a few years ago, were swapping places on the Indian team when a left-arm spinner and a lower-order hitter were required. In his short career in T20I, Axar’s numbers had been impressive with an economy rate of less than seven. But since conceding 16 in a tie against South Africa, Axar has not seen India’s colors. More than two and a half years have passed since that match when India had also moved towards another option in the form of Krunal Pandya.

With 15 required out of 5, these sub-texts hardly mattered. The final showdown, southpaws versus left arm spinner, was one Delhi knew was coming, Shikhar Dhawan later said. All Axar had to do was deliver in the middle. Through heavy lifting, a longer loft, and a final floor loft, Axar would finish the job with some nonchalance.

“But the way Axar hit the ball was amazing to watch. Every time we give the Man of the Match awards in our dressing room, he is always there. He is a forgotten hero. His preparation is always spot on and he knows what he is. doing, “is how Shreyas Iyer would describe Axar’s season so far.

With this and his season so far, it wouldn’t be a surprise if those buried subtexts find their way back to the limelight soon enough.