There is something different about underdogs. Something tells you they can achieve it all, but something tells you the odds are too much for them to stand against. But hey, this is what makes an underdog story - a blockbuster story.
You can't help, but consider yourself a part of their journey, part of their struggle, part of their will to accomplish what wasn't thought of, and when it finally happens, the poetic justice takes its course, as if it were to happen all along.
Well, Indian cricket over the years, has seen many underdog stories come to the fore. From a boy of Jharkhand conquering the entire world to someone like Mohammed Siraj coming in and stamping his authority, there is no dearth of such stories.
The Beginning
Axar Patel is the latest addition to the list of these stories. Whoever has followed Axar's career, always knew the potential he had, but that was all we saw. There were signs of brilliance here and there, but never did he churn up consecutive performances that made him an invincible part of any Indian team.
But then again, what is really an underdog story that doesn't make you believe in the lack of potential in the hero? Patel made his India debut against Bangladesh at Mirpur on June 15, 2014. Fast forward seven long years, Patel made his Test debut against England at Chennai, and hell broke loose.
The Dilemma
To make sense of the numbers that are coming up after a while, we will have to take a look at his performances in limited-overs cricket. In ODIs since his debut, Patel made 29 appearances with the bat, and hit 381 runs at an average of 19, with just 2 fifties against his name. Mind you, those two fifties too, came pretty late in his career when he started to peak.
Axar Patel during his initial years.
In terms of bowling, Patel just has 56 ODI wickets from 45 innings at an economy of 4.44. His T20I numbers too are on similar lines. Even if we talk about his IPL career, he has 102 wickets in 122 games and 1135 runs with the bat.
The Homecoming
Now, comes that part of the story that changes everything. Axar Patel has played 10 Test matches since then. A lot was said about him being a temporary replacement for Ravindra Jadeja. Pundits also went on to say that he will never be able to replicate what Jadeja provided in terms of his dynamic skillset. But again, an underdog proves everyone wrong, right?
In terms of bowling, the all-rounder has taken 48 wickets in 20 innings at an economy of under 2.50 and an average of 15.45, with the best figures of 6/38. With the bat in hand, Axar came into his own, and slammed 407 runs in 15 innings with an average of 31 and a strike rate of 52, with the highest score of 84 that came against Australia in the 1st Test match in Nagpur.
With these phenomenal numbers, Axar Patel has finally come home. Limited overs wasn't his place. Test cricket, it seems, is. He may still go on to convert these numbers in limited-overs cricket, but again, that is a story for another day. Until then, be happy, for Axar, has finally come home.
