"He told me, 'Axar pads pehen le'" - Axar Patel recalls being sent up the order during India vs South Africa T20 World Cup final
India were in deep trouble during their T20 World Cup final against South Africa when Axar Patel was promoted up the order. The left-arm spinner walked out at No. 5, with the scoreboard reading 34/3.
Axar recently opened up on whether he had an idea about being promoted in case early wickets tumbled. He shed light on how Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid told him to pad up once the Men in Blue lost the wicket of Rishabh Pant.
Speaking to Cricbuzz, Axar Patel talked about his mindset ahead of his innings in the final. He said:
"Rohit bhai was standing beside me when Rishabh Pant got out. He told me, 'Axar, pads pehen le'. (Axar, pad up). After that (Yuzvendra) Chahal came running to tell me that Rahul (Dravid) Bhai wants me to pad up.
"When I was padding up, I did not know what to do. We were two wickets down and I had still not analyzed the pitch. Next I saw Suryakumar (Yadav) also got out. Things happened so suddenly that I did not have time to think."
Axar Patel also highlighted how Hardik Pandya in the dugout and then Virat Kohli in the middle gave him words of encouragement before and during his innings, respectively. Despite being run out against the run of play, Axar had already done the damage with a quickfire knock of 47 off just 31 balls.
Pressure situations seem to bring the best out of me: Axar Patel
Axar Patel feels that he thrives under pressure as he handles himself well and doesn't get overwhelmed by the situation at hand. He cited his ODI innings against West Indies in 2023 when India chased down a hundred runs in the final 10 overs as an example.
Also speaking about his ability to bowl under pressure in the powerplay, Axar said:
"I feel that high-pressure situations suit me; maybe they align with my personality. When I'm sent in under pressure, I think I handle myself well. Such situations seem to bring out the best in me.
"If you look at my career over the past year and a half, I've performed well in all the pressure situations. I've bowled in the PowerPlay and secured breakthroughs, whether in the World Cup or bilateral games."
Axar feels the key to not let the pressure get to you is to stay in the present and not worry about the consequences. He feels that such a mindset helped him deliver his best in the T20 World Cup final. India beat South Africa by seven runs to end their 11-year wait for an ICC trophy.