Axar Patel was promoted in the batting order after India lost Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma against Pakistan in the ICC T20 World Cup 2024. The management wanted to stop the flow of wickets, and Patel managed to do it with Rishabh Pant. He scored 20 runs off 18 balls, packed with two fours and one six and added 39 runs with Pant.
Patel said that management did not give him a free licence to go out and play his strokes. ‘I was not given a free licence. The motto was to keep the wicket intact and add important runs to the total. I have played a lot with Rishabh Pant (Delhi Capitals), and he told me to calm down and bat without any pressure,” he said on Star Sports.
The southpaw further said that Mohammad Rizwan’s dismissal on Jasprit Bumrah’s delivery was the turning point of the match.
“The turning point was Mohammad Rizwan’s wicket. Jasprit Bumrah bowled a good ball to get rid of him, and we managed to get back into the game. Till the time Rizwan was at the crease, Pakistan had a chance in the match,” he added.
Bumrah took three wickets and was named the Player of the Match. With six-run win over Pakistan, India have registered two consecutive victories in the World Cup. Rohit Sharma’s team will compete against the United States of America on June 12.
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