The left-arm spin all-rounder, Axar Patel who made a huge contribution in helping India win their second title in the Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, especially with the bat during the bat against South Africa in Barbados, has revealed his feelings about playing under the new head-coach of Indian team Gautam Gambhir.
Axar Patel showed his importance throughout the tournament, where he went under the radar with his impressive performances. During the Pakistan game in the group stage, when the team was struggling, losing early wickets, he got a promotion and showed his batting skills, as the same story continued during the final game too.
With the ball, the Gujarat-born was quite clinical, especially bowling in the powerplay with the new ball, with only two fielders outside the circle. He had an excellent time in the bowling department during India’s semifinal win over England at the Providence Stadium in Guyana.
‘New coach, new staff- very excited to see the changes’- Axar Patel
The veteran all-rounder, Axar Patel is excited to share the dressing room with the World Cup winner of 2007 and 2011, and shares how he looks to learn a few things from him.
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Patel recalled the time when he came against Gambhir during the Indian Premier League and couldn’t be more excited for the upcoming seasons to play under his coaching tenure.
‘I have played against him in the IPL and now he’s coming in as coach so obviously excitement is there. His journey hasn’t started but I’m looking forward to it.’ Axar Patel expressed in a recent interview with ‘Times Now’. ‘There are going to be a lot of changes in the set-up, his mindset will be different so excited to see our new goals, the change in atmosphere.’
Gambhir hasn’t been part of the India side for the ongoing Zimbabwe T20I series, where the veteran VVS Laxman has taken charge. However, once the team moves to Sri Lanka for the three-match ODI and T20I series, the former India left-handed opening batter will serve his first coaching period.
He also sheds light on how the retirement of the three senior members of the Indian team- Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Ravindra Jadeja will open the door for the young players as he couldn’t wait to see the changes in the Indian team.
‘Player roles could also be changed, especially in T20, with the retirement of Virat, Jadeja, and Rohit. A younger team will be put in place and we will see how he operates.’ Axar Patel noted. ‘New coach, new staff – very excited to see the changes and looking forward to the first meeting with him where there will be a lot of clarity.’
With no Jadeja in the side, the role of Axar gets more, as he now will have to play the senior player’s contribution with both bat and ball, especially during tricky situations.
Once the team came to Mumbai with the trophy, the reception at the Marine Drive in Mumbai was quite incredible and the craze of the fans came second to none, as the all-rounder was truly moved to the core.
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‘Obviously, we had to respect him (The guy who climbed up to a tree). But there were so many people there. It was raining but people were still coming in large number just to welcome us, even though our flight was delayed.’ Axar Patel elaborated. ‘It felt like the entire country was on the same page and celebrating with us.’
He concluded by saying how the team culture of the side has been built over a certain time, where they are enjoying each other’s success whether it’s during the fielding ceremony or the batting or bowling. Axar Patel will now play a valuable role for India in the shortest format of the game.
