"I have no idea what he did!"- Axar Patel shares hilarious story of how his name changed from 'Akshar' to 'Axar'
Axar Patel has grown into one of the most handy white-ball all-rounders in the world. However, his first name was not always 'Axar'.
The 28-year-old is now a regular in the Indian team and that is one of the main reasons why he didn't think of correcting his first name.
On the YouTube show 'Breakfast with Champions', Axar Patel revealed the story where his school principal made the mistake of writing 'Axar' on his leaving certificate instead of 'Akshar'.
"So the correct spelling of my name is 'Akshar'. But I was in Bangalore for the U19 camp before the World Cup. The team was going to Australia. So everyone told me to get a passport made but I didn't have one.
"I needed a leaving certificate and license. When I went to the school to take the leaving certificate, the principal made it 'Axar'. I have no idea what he did.
Patel added:
"The NCA people said you usually write 'Akshar', then why is it 'Axar' in your passport? I called my dad and he said nothing can be changed. Then I was picked by Mumbai Indians and played for India too. So I thought everything is going good so let's not disturb things."
Axar Patel shares his memories with Mumbai Indians
Axar Patel made his IPL debut with Kings XI Punjab, but he was also a member of the Mumbai Indians (MI) club that won the 2013 IPL title, making him a worthy addition to the list of IPL winner.
He was one of the backup players alongside leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal, which just shows the kind of depth in talent MI had at that point.
Patel recalled one of his fond memories with the five-time champions and said:
"I was on the bench for one year in Mumbai. But even before they used to make their XI, 12th man was Chahal and 13th was Axar Patel. So me and Chahal we told each other that others spots are not fixed but ours is fixed (laughs)."
Axar Patel and Jasprit Bumrah play for the same Ranji Trophy side (Gujarat) and the duo were together selected by MI.
The 28-year-old shared how both of them were in awe of the star players that they saw in the MI dressing room for the first time. He added:
"Me and Jasprit began together. We are awestruck looking around the dressing room. All the big stars we used to see on TV are standing in front of us.
"I remember when both of us were picked by Mumbai, we both went mad after seeing our room for the first time. Your clothes, kit bag, travelling bag are all kept ready. For 5-10 mins me and Jassi are looking at each other and going 'this is on another level!'"
MI might regret the fact that they let go of an all-rounder of Patel's caliber.
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