WATCH: ‘The most underrated T20 bowler’ – Axar Patel cleans up New Zealand top order with twin strikes in an over
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Axar Patel
Having been dropped from the T20 World Cup squad, Axar Patel returned to the side for the series against New Zealand. Following a couple of average outings, Axar came to the party in the final T20I at the Eden Gardens. The left-arm spinner picked three wickets for just nine runs as India completed a clean sweep.
Winning the toss yet against, skipper Rohit Sharma decided to bat first at the Eden Gardens. The move paid off as India was off to a rollicking start in the powerplay as the Men in Blue put up a daunting total of 184. The Kiwis too were off to a decent start having hammered 20 runs off the first two overs. And it was then that Axar Patel stepped in.
Axar Patel’s twin strikes brings India back into the fold
Coming into the attack in the powerplay yet again, Axar Patel struck with his very first ball as he sent the dangerous Daryl Mitchell packing. As he looked to finish off the over on a high, the left-arm spinner foxed Mark Chapman with a ripper and Rishabh Pant did the rest. Trying to step out, Chapman was beaten by flight as he was stumped.
The twin strikes opened the floodgates for the Kiwis as wickets kept tumbling for them. In his very next over, Axar Patel castled Glenn Philips before he went on to register the third-best figures for an Indian in the powerplay in T20Is.
With the top order all but gone, Martin Guptill stepped up and brought up a brilliant half-century but everything fell apart thereafter. The Kiwi lineup got blown away like a bunch of cards as India secured a clean sweep in their first series under their new skipper, Rohit Sharma.
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