[Watch]"Mere haath mein jo aawaz aayi hai uske baad mereko kuch pata nahi tha" - Axar Patel recalls stunning catch in IND vs AUS T20 World Cup match
Indian left-arm spinner Axar Patel shed light on his incredible catch to dismiss Australian captain Mitchell Marsh in the two sides' T20 World Cup encounter in St. Lucia on Monday, June 24. The Men in Blue won the game by 24 runs and Marsh's wicket was one of the pivotal moments of the game.
India posted a mammoth target of 206, but Australia seemed on course for the chase when Mitchell Marsh and Travis Head were going strong. The Men in Blue needed a moment of inspiration, which came in the form of Axar's sensational one-handed catch.
Speaking to ICC after the game, Axar Patel accepted that he didn't quite have an idea that he had taken the catch as he lost his balance after the ball stuck in his right hand. He said:
"Mere haath mein jo aawaz aayi hai uske baad mereko kuch pata nahi tha (The ball made a sound as it hit my palm and after that I didn't know that I had taken the catch)."
Here's the video:
Axar Patel also claimed that since Kuldeep Yadav was bowling and Marsh was trying to play the sweep shot, he felt there was a possibility of a top edge for which he would have to run in. The left-arm spinner also felt the drift from the wind, which made him initially go the other way but he recovered just in time.
Axar Patel on the importance of Mitchell Marsh's wicket
Mitchell Marsh and Travis Head had already added 81 runs for the second wicket and Axar Patel felt India desperately needed to break that partnership. While he took a stunning catch, he was more happy that his team got a timely breakthrough.
On this, he further said:
"It was a difficult take but it was an important wicket as we needed to break that partnership. I derived more happiness from the fact that it wasn't a six and then the partnership also was broken."
Apart from that sensational catch, Axar was also instrumental in getting the sting out of Australia's chase towards the second half of their chase. His three overs went for just 21 runs along with the important wicket of Marcus Stoinis.