Carrara: Indian all-rounder Axar Patel says he has learned from his past mistakes of letting boundary size influence his shot selection — a lesson that reflected in his smart approach during the fourth T20I against Australia.
Axar’s quickfire 21 off 11 balls, featuring a four and a six in the final over against Marcus Stoinis, proved vital in pushing India to 167, a total that helped secure a 48-run win and an unassailable 2-1 lead in the five-match series.
“Wickets were falling one after another, and the message from the dressing room was to take it deep since there weren’t many batters left after me,” Axar told teammate Shivam Dube in a post-match video shared by bcci.tv.
“I decided to take my chances in the last over. Even though the side boundaries were big, I focused on holding my shape and watching the ball closely to clear them,” he said.
Reflecting on his improved mindset, Axar added, “Earlier, I used to think too much about boundary size and avoided hitting in those directions, which led to premeditated shots and mistakes. This time, I trusted my execution and played freely.”
The 31-year-old not only made a handy contribution with the bat but also claimed two wickets, earning the Player of the Match award.
Speaking about his dismissal of Matthew Short, Axar revealed he is usually hesitant to take reviews but backed his instincts this time.
“I’m usually not confident about reviews. But when the ball hit my pads, I felt it stayed low. Since I bowl from wide of the crease, I often think the ball will miss the stumps. This time, I was sure it was hitting, and when Jitesh (Sharma) said it was right in the middle, I decided to go for it,” he recalled.
Discussing his bowling strategy, Axar said the focus was on containment rather than turn. “As a spinner, I knew it was more about restricting runs. The wicket wasn’t offering much spin, but there was a bit of bounce due to the dew, so I kept bowling wicket-to-wicket,” he explained.
The fifth and final T20I will be played on Saturday in Brisbane.
