Axar Patel stays humorous even after Delhi Capitals lose fourth match in a row

If one talks of positives for Delhi Capitals, Axar Patel has provided cutting-edge. His batting has become so important for the teams he is part of.

Axar Patel stays humorous even after Delhi Capitals lose fourth match in a row

Axar Patel

It is not easy to stay humorous after losing four matches in a row. On Tuesday night, Axar Patel, the man who has now embraced all forms of cricket with the same flair, enlivened the press interaction after Delhi Capitals lost their fourth straight match to Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League.

This has turned out to be a wretched season for Delhi Capitals, where nothing seems to be working for them, even if they are playing on home ground. Skipper David Warner still does score half-tons, but it’s not in the manner for which T20 cricket is known. He is clearly struggling to reproduce the heavy artillery batting he is known for, prompting cricket fans to be critical of his strike rate.

That’s one part of the story. If one talks of positives for Delhi Capitals, Axar Patel has provided cutting-edge, literally. His batting has become so important for the teams he is part of. There is really no need to go through scorecards of recent matches, whether Axar has played for Team India or the IPL. His performance with the bat has been outstanding.

Yet, when he was asked about the losing streak of Delhi Capitals, losing four in a row, Axar was positive and talked of the mindset. “It’s important to stay positive, yes our combination is not clicking,” he said. And when spoke about his own batting, Axar pointed out to all that he has been in good nick for quite some time now.

To score in Tests, as he did during the BGT Series (264 aggregate), is different from the IPL. Axar also did well in the series against Sri Lanka. The domestic T20 format is not for the weak-hearted. One has to be like a fighter pilot, ready to scramble in quick time. Axar’s sense of humor was nice. He talked of how coming at No.7 in the batting order, he still gets to play 12-odd overs. It was an honest remark, which, of course, shows how Delhi Capitals have struggled with their middle order.

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Axar Patel is developing into the all-rounder mode like Ravindra Jadeja

Axar Patel stays humorous even after Delhi Capitals lose fourth match in a row
Axar Patel

Everyone knew with Rishabh Pant ruled out of this IPL season, following his car accident in December, Warner stepping in was seen as big. Perhaps, from the time, Warner had to fly back from India during the BGT Series, and then return, he has not been in demolishing form. Yes, the 50s do count but people have gotten used to huge strike rates. Maybe, for Warner to change gears, is no longer easy.

This is where the role played by Axar has looked good. Playing all three formats of cricket is not easy. It is a question of adaptability as well as performing according to the situation. The Delhi team which has Ricky Ponting as a coach and Sourav Ganguly in a senior position, they have been at their worst. There are memes and all kinds of sarcastic stuff on social media which show Delhi Capitals in poor light. Surprisingly, even JSW bug boss, Parth Jindal was immature in his Twitter post a few days ago, after Delhi Capitals had lost three in a row.

Team owners need to show maturity, which Jindal has not. In contrast, Axar Patel waxed eloquently after the team lost to Mumbai Indians. To be laughing after a loss is not easy. This man is developing into the all-rounder mode like Ravindra Jadeja. And that’s really interesting.

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