‘Confident of doing well…’: Axar Patel happy with promotion in batting order

India all-rounder Axar Patel is quickly becoming a very important player for the Men in Blue in the white-ball formats, and for him “self-belief” is the key ingredient in that transformation.

In the latest instance, Axar made a handy 42 and then claimed the prized wicket of Kane Williamson with his left-arm spin to play an important role in India’s 44-run win over New Zealand in a Champions Trophy match here on Sunday.

“I was not able to click earlier and it was in the back of the mind that I was not able to show my talent. Maybe, I was putting more pressure on myself back then, despite knowing that I have the talent,” Axar said in an interaction with reporters.

But an unbeaten 35-ball 64 against the West Indies at Barbados in 2022 unlocked his mind. The knock helped India chase down a daunting 312.

“After that match against the West Indies, I knew I could finish games. As soon as I gained that self-belief, I didn’t think much about whether I wanted to show batting to anyone or not. I know that I have it and if I give my 100 percent, I can be confident of doing well continuously,” Axar said.

Axar also said his promotion to No. 5 batting slot in white ball formats helped his growth as an all-rounder.

“When I get an opportunity, I try to bat based on the situation. But now, the approach has changed. Earlier, I used to come down and had to make runs quickly. Now, I know that there are more batsmen behind me, so I can play accordingly,” Axar said.

“I know that I have a lot of time. It depends on the requirement of the team as well and if I feel that I have to attack the spinner, I play accordingly like I had a partnership (a 98-run fourth wicket stand with Shreyas Iyer) in this match (vs NZ), and we could have a good total,” Axar added.

Axar also patted fellow spinner Varun Chakravarthy (5/42) for coming up with a match-winning spell.

“Credit goes to him. The T20 WC (2021) was not a good experience for him. But after that he has come back and his mental skill shows how ready he is. I think he is carrying forward his performances in T20s to ODIs,” Axar added.

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