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An intriguing story about a cricketer who also desired to be a mechanical engineer like many Indians who wish to land a career in this much-chartered field, but stars aligned differently and fate had plans that didn’t correspond with Axar Patel. The rising all-rounder for India from Gujrat is another gifted ambidextrous player coming in handy both with bat and ball and by degrees has emerged as India’s reserved all-rounder in the absence of Ravindra Jadeja the selectors can tap into. The lanky left-handed all-rounder frequents the Indian national team regularly now after intermittently being picked and dropped, he has ensured his skills are not overlooked. Akshar which is now spelt as Axar was a spelling gaff by his school principal with which he had to graduate later from school and the name gained name and fame through the game of cricket.
We will walk you through his journey.
Early life
Axar Rajeshbhai Patel famously known as Axar Patel had his first cry on January 20, 1994, in Anand, Gujarat. Axar wasn’t the healthiest and strongest of kids growing up which worried his father regarding his resolve that will be put through the wringer in this physically hardened sport. He didn’t have any innate all-rounder skills but built those skills bit by bit. It was his mate Dhiren Kansara who noticed his skills fit for a professional team and recommended him to play an interstate school cricket tournament. Started as a bowler but later learnt to swing a bat to up the ante as a player who would be preferred to play for the Indian team. In 2010 he collided with an unfortunate accident after he was selected for the U-19 team which derailed his progress and thoughts of calling time on cricket lingered. But it was the wish of his grandmother who wanted to see him make it as a cricketer on TV that kept him going.
Domestic career
His Ranji career didn’t exactly get off to a flyer as he played only one match in the season of 2012 but the 2013-14 seasons saw him scoring runs aplenty at an exceptional average of 46.12 comprising 369 runs. Axar with the ball chipped in too as his all-round abilities would be incomplete without the two fortes of his firing on full cylinders. At an economy rate of 23.58 in 7 matches, he claimed 29 wickets.
In the ACC U-23 emerging cup teams cup 2013, the orthodox left-arm spinner brought his effective bowling ability to the fore in the title win as he bagged a four-for in the semi-final against UAE totalling seven wickets.
He was rewarded with plaudits in the form of the award of the “BCCI Under-19 cricketer of the Year” in 2014.
Rising through the ranks, In August 2019, he was named in the India Red team's squad for the 2019–20 Duleep Trophy. In October 2019, he was named in India C's squad for the 2019–20 Deodhar Trophy.
IPL breakthrough
The Gujrat all-rounder with his hard-hitting and wicket-talking bowling skills in the kit set sail on his IPL venture as he secured his maiden IPL contract with Mumbai Indians in 2013 and lanes were changed with Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings). Axar albeit being a lesser known name from Gujarat due to being overshadowed by his Gujarati counterpart who was basking in his exponential success Ravindra Jadeja – still became the talk of the town.
It was with KXIP that he enjoyed the bulk of his success before being called dibs on him in the auction where he was drafted to Delhi Capitals for an eye-watering amount of 5 crores in 2019 making him the second most expensive player for the franchise. Axar since then has proven to be a lucrative player for the team playing crucial knocks for the team and picking wickets simultaneously.
International career
It is no secret when players do well at the IPL they get to punch their ticket for the national side. Axar who caught selectors' attention earned a call-up for the Indian team in the ODI squad for the tour of Bangladesh. Axar was then included in the 15 men's squad to play against Sri Lanka where his name was not lost in the shuffle but among those who contributed to the team’s success. He appeared in all 5 matches and snapped 11 wickets and scored 31 runs at a strike rate of 178. His resumption in the Indian team went swimmingly after being named in the squad for the 2015 ODI World Cup in Australia. However, in the star-studded Indian team of 2015, Axar didn’t get a game in the whole tournament and spent the World Cup on the sidelines away from the limelight. After India’s defeat at the Champions Trophy final, the experienced Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin were jettisoned and the pavement was now cleared for players such as Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal and Axar himself in the fold. Axar last played an ODI against New Zealand in 2017.
T20 career
Now it was time for him to lace up his boots and don a new kit for the T20I debut. Zimbabwe’s tour happened to be his debut in T20I on July 17 2015. His bowling finesse shone through as in his 4-over spell he bagged 3 big fish wickets for Zimbabwe that included star players such as Hamilton Masakadza, Elton Chigumbura, and Sikandar Raza.
Axar was then up against the tenacious proteas who have a phenomenal T20 record in India when South Africa toured India in 2015. He played two matches and picked one wicket. Axar last played a T20 against Australia where he was the pick of the bowlers while the other bowlers were leaking runs in chunks, Axar stood out with his outstanding spell of 17 runs in four overs that had three wickets of Aaron Finch, Cameron Green and Josh Inglis which jolted the fluent batting line up of Australia.
