"I was there when they chased our score without losing a wicket"- Axar Patel on why Jos Buttler's wicket during T20 World Cup was special
Indian left-arm spinner Axar Patel claimed that dismissing England's Jos Buttler during the T20 World Cup semifinal in Guyana was his favorite moment from the tournament. Buttler tried to reverse sweep a delivery from Axar, but could only get a top edge that was safely gobbled by Rishabh Pant.
Axar highlighted how Jos Buttler and Co. had beaten India by 10 wickets in the semifinal of the 2022 edition of the T20 World Cup. He thus had the desire to do well against them when they met them again at the tournament.
Speaking to Cricbuzz, here's what Axar Patel asserted:
"My personal favourite was the first wicket against England in the semifinal, getting Jos Buttler out. The Buttler wicket stands out for me because of what happened in the 2022 World Cup. I was there when they chased our score without losing a wicket. That memory was on my mind, and I was determined to do well for the team, no matter what."
Axar also picked the wickets of Jonny Bairstow and Marcus Stoinis as among his favorite moments from the T20 World Cup. He also talked about the art of bowling in the powerplay and how he backed himself to focus on his strengths despite the batters wanting to take him on with the fielding restrictions in place.
Having too many variations can lead to confusion: Axar Patel
Axar Patel believes that he doesn't need to add too many tricks to his repertoire. The left-arm spinner believes his accuracy is his strength and that he can work with it without worrying too much about having variations in the shortest format.
On this, he opined:
"If I introduce too many new variations and they don't work, I end up returning to pressure situations relying on my strengths. So, why complicate things? Having too many variations can lead to confusion. I've tested these strategies in different matches, including in India A games, and I've concluded that there's no need to overcomplicate matters. It's best to stick to your strengths, keep it simple, and focus on mastering the basics."
Axar Patel had an impressive T20 World Cup with nine wickets from eight matches at an economy rate of 7.86, which is brilliant considering he bowled a lot in the powerplay.