First-Class cricket made its return to Anantapur on Thursday, with India C’s pacers dominating the opening day of the Duleep Trophy fixture at the Rural Development Cricket Stadium. As expected, fast bowlers dominated at a venue, where they have taken 361 of the 473 wickets in the 16 matches played.
Vyshak Vijaykumar, generating both bounce and movement, worked in tandem with fellow pacers Anshul Kamboj and Himanshu Chauhan to dismantle India D’s top order. Half the team was back in the pavilion by the time Axar Patel arrived at the crease.
At 34 for five, Axar, with his considerable international experience, was perhaps the best fit for the situation. However, given that all 14 of his Test appearances have been in the subcontinent, it’s not surprising that only 17% of his 646-run international total has come against pace bowlers. He has faced just 212 deliveries from pacers in 17 innings, compared to 923 deliveries from spinners across 22 innings. His batting average against spinners stands at a solid 41, while it drops to 28 against pace bowlers.
Yet, recent times have seen Axar thrive in rescue roles, especially with the bat. In the T20 World Cup final, he came in at 34 for three and scored a crucial 47 runs off 31 deliveries, helping India reach 176, which proved enough. His knack for salvaging innings extends beyond white-ball cricket. In 2023, Axar showcased his batting prowess in Test cricket during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. In the first Test in Nagpur, he added 88 runs with Ravindra Jadeja and 52 runs with Mohammed Shami for the eighth- and ninth-wickets, respectively. His career-best 84 helped India extend its lead from 63 to over 200 runs, leading to an innings victory.
In the second Test again, Axar steered India out of an unpleasant 134 for six with his 115-ball 74, forging a crucial alliance of 114 runs with R. Ashwin. India ended up cutting down the first-inning deficit to just one run and eventually won the contest by six wickets.
“When you play all three formats for India, there’s a certainty. You’re under pressure a lot of times, and doing well then gives you confidence. You get to learn too. You won’t do well every single time, but you’ll learn something. I’ve learned a lot over the last year. I try not to get bogged down when I’m there. Neither do I overthink. I try to focus on my strengths and stay calm. I think that’s what’s coming into play now. The World Cup was good, so the confidence carries forward from there too,” Axar had said during India’s tour to Sri Lanka in July this year.
On Thursday, Axar orchestrated another recovery for his side. He was aware of the challenge ahead when a nip-backer from Kamboj angled in and breached his bat-pad. Just moments before, he had nearly edged a length delivery from Himanshu to extra cover. Axar finally got off the mark on his 18th delivery.
Shifting gears
Axar is known for valuing his wicket early on, taking time to settle before accelerating. In Tests, his strike rate is 46 during his first 30 deliveries, rising to 58 in the next 30. The frequency of boundaries also improves, with the balls per boundary dropping from 16 to 10 between these two phases.
Against India C’s pace attack, Axar went even slower, picking just seven runs off the first 30 deliveries that included a solitary boundary. In the next 21 deliveries, Axar collected 12 runs as his side plunged to 76 for seven at Lunch.
But with the overcast skies relenting in the second session and the pacers running on fumes after prolonged spells, captain Ruturaj Gaikwad’s hand was forced into operating either Manav Suthar or Hrithik Shokeen from one end. Axar identified the window and pounced.
In nine overs, between the 34th and the 42nd, Axar added 51 runs in 32 deliveries. Six of these were bowled by the spinners. This onslaught formed the core of the 84-run ninth-wicket partnership with Arshdeep Singh that helped India D put up a semblance of a fight. The pacers were not spared either in this phase, as Kamboj found out when Axar dispatched a short ball behind square with a pull shot.
In Tests, Axar’s scoring rate has dropped to almost 40 between deliveries 61 and 90. But his innings in Anantapur was a departure from this trend. The increase in his scoring rate was driven by the slog sweep, a shot Axar has used sparingly but effectively in international cricket. Axar has slog-swept nine times in Tests but picked up 42 runs off these shots. Here, Axar accumulated 16 runs from three slog sweeps. He had pocketed another six off Suthar earlier in the day.
His eventual dismissal also came off a slog sweep. But this was merely a matter of circumstance, as he was focused on scoring as many runs as possible alongside last man Aditya Thakare.
Understanding his game
“As a player, you need to understand your game. At the same time, it’s important to realise that no matter what your game is, it’s about how you contribute to your team’s success. When you are in that situation, you should allow yourself to think for a few seconds. I take those few seconds to understand what my team wants from me in that situation. It’s a simple question, and if you think through it, you are bound to come up with a solution. It helps you judge whether it is the right time to accelerate or is it the time to stick around,” Axar had told Sportstar after India’s World Cup triumph.
In similar conditions, India C lost four wickets for 43 runs in reply, with none of the top four going past 13 runs, putting into context the impact of Axar’s innings. He also got two opposition batters out to cap off a rewarding day.
Despite being on the fringes of the Indian team and often playing second fiddle to Ravindra Jadeja, Axar’s recent batting form could strengthen his case for the third all-rounder’s spot, especially for the Australia tour later this year.
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