Not in the spotlight, yet indispensable: Why Axar Patel is India’s silent match-winner

Mumbai: Very often in cricket, in fact team sports in general, you’ll come across players and coaches using the phrase “I don’t believe in statistics”. And there’s plenty of truth to it. 

While statistics do reveal the real performers of a game, like a centurion or a goal scorer, they can at the same time conceal contributions from other members that would’ve had a significant impact on the outcome of the match. Down memory lane, their names in the scoresheet may just be a footnote or missing altogether, but for the ones who watched the game, their acts of momentary brilliance were the difference-makers. 

Take the pulsating T20 World Cup semifinal between India and England at the Wankhede Stadium on a warm Thursday night, where a whopping 499 runs were scored, leaving the boisterous fans wanting for more. The humdinger will best be remembered for Sanju Samson’s Player of the Match performance of 89 off 42 balls for India and an exceptional 105 off 48 balls by England’s Jacob Bethell, the prodigious 22-year-old who almost threatened to destroy India’s party. 

As balls soared into the stands a record 33 times in a T20 World Cup game and bowlers reduced to mere spectators amidst the breathless onslaught from the batters, Axar Patel’s two moments of magic on the field, especially the second one, were pivotal to India's 7-run win in a high-octane game.

First was a superb catch running from covers till the deep, covering a distance of 24 metres to dismiss the dangerous Harry Brook in the fifth over. Then came the game-changer in the 14th over. Steaming like a freight train to his left from deep cover, an off-balance Axar relayed an aerial ball bound for six to Shivam Dube, who held on to it easily. Records will show ‘Will Jacks c Shivam Dube b Arshdeep Singh 35’, but the man behind breaking a 77-run stand that was threatening to take the match away from India was Axar. 

Add the wicket of Tom Banton and three overs for 35 runs — decent under the circumstances — the unassuming southpaw’s contribution in India’s win was no less valuable than Samson’s whirlwind knock or the irrepressible Jasprit Bumrah’s frugal display of death bowling. In a way, that’s Axar in a nutshell— unassuming yet extremely effective in whatever he does.

In team sports, or even at workplaces, sometimes a person’s value is understood better during their absence. Superstar performers attract natural attention, but the guys who fly under the radar and do all the dirty work often go unnoticed. It’s when they are missing in action that the team realises the value they bring to the table.

Axar, one of the heroes of the 2024 World Cup final triumph against South Africa with his momentum-shifting 31-ball 47, was benched from India’s final group affair against the Netherlands despite being the vice-captain of the team. While there was some logic in that move because India had secured their Super Eights ticket and wanted to try out Washington Sundar, who was returning from injury, the 32-year-old’s absence in the Super 8s game versus South Africa at home ground — the Narendra Modi Stadium — befuddled many, including him.

As fate would have it, Sundar didn’t fare well in the two games, and with India staring down the barrel following a massive defeat against the Proteas, India were forced to summon Axar back again for the must-win Zimbabwe game. Since then, Axar, who has grown from being a Ravindra Jadeja understudy at the start of his career to crafting his own legacy, has shown what an invaluable asset he is to the team.

As a bowler, he’s an extremely wily operator, sticking to wicket-to-wicket lines when the surface is flat but getting the ball to turn and bounce when there’s help on offer. He’s street-smart at reading the situation of the game and alters his lines and lengths as per the needs. As a batter, he can be used anywhere. He can slog in Power Plays when promoted, drop anchor in the middle overs if there’s a collapse, and can use the long handle effectively if he has to just come and slog at the death. On the field, he pulls off some stunning catches and is tigerish while manning the ropes; the throws flat and sharp, just like Jadeja.

Axar Patel conjured two magical moments on the field that were critical to India

In short, he’s the perfect definition of an all-rounder. More importantly, he’s an indispensable member of the team, minus the superstar aura that accompanies players like Bumrah or Virat Kohli. It’s greatness of a simple kind.