Axar Patel has given credit for his rapid growth as a batter over the last 12 months to the change in mindset. Moreover, the star all-rounder also expressed that talking with Ricky Ponting, coach of the Indian Premier League franchise Delhi Capitals also worked wonders to lead him to his current form.
"At Delhi Capitals, I talked a lot with Ricky about how I can get better with my batting. Even in the Indian team, I was talking to the batters. I felt I was not realising my potential with 30s and 40s. I was not able to finish the game," Axar said.
"So, it was a lot about the mindset. Sometimes you can relax as an all-rounder if you have taken wickets, you could get casual. So I thought I could improve on that and convert my 30s and 40s into match-winning scores, he added.
"That is how I think now and that has made a big difference," said Axar after stumps on day two of the second Test.
On the second day of the second Test against Australia, on Saturday, Axar scored a potentially match-changing 74 while batting alongside Ravichandran Ashwin (37). The duo shared an impressive 114-run stand for the eighth wicket to help India reach 262 in the first innings. His 84 in the first Test in Nagpur helped India get to 400 to guide India to a dominating position.
Axar Patel's batting performance in the previous 5 Test innings:
- IND vs AUS (2023) - 74 runs
- IND vs AUS (2023) - 84 runs
- IND vs BAN (2022) - 34 runs
- IND vs BAN (2022) - 4 runs
- IND vs BAN (2022) - 14 runs
In the previous edition of the IPL, Axar scored 182 runs in the 13 matches that he played. His batting average for the 2022 IPL is 45.5 with a strike rate of 151.67.
Axar also shared his strategy on the technique that he uses when situations get difficult.
"When I am bowling, we think how the batter is making things difficult for us. I use the same technique while batting. If the bowler is landing all the balls in the same area, the batters keep defending confidently. While batting, we also try to defend confidently and force him to change his tactics. Having a bowler's mindset helps in batting as well."
With Australia in a lead of 62 runs with 61/1 in 12 overs in their second innings, the Indians will have to rework their plans on day three of the Test played at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi.
