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All-rounder Axar Patel had to skip the ODI World Cup due to an injury. He is now eager to showcase his skills in the upcoming IPL 2024 and the five-match Test series against England. His aim is to enhance his chances of making it to the Indian squad for the T20 World Cup 2024 in June.
In the recent T20I against Afghanistan in Mohali, Axar displayed a commendable performance, taking two wickets and conceding only 23 runs in four overs on January 11.
"My job is to give 100 percent to my work ethics and the process. I am not worrying too much about what will happen to the World Cup team selection, and if I do that, I will be putting pressure on myself. Right now, I want to focus on the IPL and then we also have a Test series against England coming up soon," Axar said in the post-match press conference.
India have just two remaining T20Is before the World Cup, set to take place in the West Indies and the United States. The 29-year-old acknowledges the intense competition for a spot in the Indian team.
"Yeah, we are going to play the last two T20Is before the World Cup, and then we have the IPL. I know there is a lot of competition out there (for a WC spot in India team), but my competition is to myself and I just want to focus on adding to my skill sets," he added.
Axar said that the refinement of his skill level commenced during his rehabilitation period at the National Cricket Academy (NCA).
"It was unfortunate that I got injured during the World Cup and missed it. But I took it positively and tried to improve my game. I was working during my time at the NCA – things like line and length, slower ball and such variations. I was trying to add something more to my bowling as a left-arm spinner, as we don't have that many variations like a leg-spinner such as googly. But I was looking to add those 5 or 10 percent to my bowling," Axar further said.
(Powered by AI, Inputs by India Today)
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