New Delhi: India legend Sunil Gavaskar has heaped praises on vice-captain Axar Patel for his stunning defensive performance in a nerve-wracking T20 World Cup semi-final win over England at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Gavaskar even compared Axar’s impact on the field to Ravindra Jadeja, saying the all-rounder has filled the void left by one of India’s greatest fielders.
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India earlier piled up a mammoth 253/7, powered by Sanju Samson’s mammoth knock. However, England’s chase threatened to derail India’s hopes as Jacob Bethell scored a sensational century to keep his team in the game.
But Axar’s outstanding performance on the field repeatedly hindered England’s momentum.
The first moment of magic came early in the chase when Jasprit Bumrah deceived Harry Brook with a slower delivery. Brook misfired over high cover and Axar sprinted back nearly 24 meters before diving forward to make a stunning catch inches from the turf.
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“Axar Patel’s dismissal of Harry Brook’s catch was unbelievable. Brook can take away games and you have to take his wicket at every opportunity and Axar did that,” Gavaskar said on JioHotstar.
“He ran 24 meters from his position, kept his eyes on the ball, kept his balance and caught the ball. It was unbelievable.”
Al-Aqsa isn’t done yet. In the next few innings, Axar produced another moment of brilliance when Will Jacks threatened to push England towards the daunting target along with Bethell. Chasing a cut ball at deep point, he raced hard across the turf, caught the ball as he lost his balance near the boundary rope and deftly passed it to Shivam Dube, who completed the catch.
“He also played a key role in the dismissal of Will Jacks. The Bethel-Jacks partnership took the game off course. But Axar ran to his left, latched on to the ball and passed it smartly to Shivam Dube,” Gavaskar added.
Gavaskar believes Axar’s emergence as an all-round cricketer reflects the impact Jadeja once had on India.
“With his batting and bowling abilities, Axar will go down as one of India’s greatest players. Before him we had Ravindra Jadeja and Axar fills that gap very well,” he said.
