Axar Patel on impressive India's comfortable Super8's win over Afghanistan
Axar Patel on impressive India's comfortable Super8's win over Afghanistan
20/06/2024
Kensington Oval, Bridgetown
20/06/2024
Kensington Oval, Bridgetown
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SportTranscript
00:00The plans went off accordingly and how was it to win here and get off to a good start
00:11and especially an unpredictable team like Afghanistan?
00:14I think you cannot say that it is an unpredictable team because the way their players play league
00:24matches, we have seen Rashid, Gubaluddin, Nabi, I think many players played many league
00:33matches all over the world so I don't think they are unpredictable team but you have to
00:39be more accurate against these teams because you never know what they can do on particular
00:47day.
00:48So I think that was the plan, we have to stick with our basics, not thinking about what they
00:54can do or their plans, we are just sticking with our basics and our plans and that works.
01:01Akshar when you bowl after a bowler like Jasprit Bumrah, how much confidence and morale do you
01:09have?
01:10See, obviously Jasprit Bumrah is a world class bowler and you know that the bowler in your
01:20situation can get you out of a tough situation, so at that time you have to think about what
01:27you have, what is your strength, what are your weaknesses, so you don't have to think
01:34much about that.
01:35He bowled like this, obviously you say that in a partnership like batting, there is bowling
01:41in a partnership, so I was just thinking that if there is good bowling from that end,
01:46then what is working for me on this wicket, so after 1-2 balls I came to know that if
01:53change of pace and length varies, then it is good on this wicket, so it is more difficult
01:59to hit, so I was doing that only, I was not thinking that he has bowled so well from the
02:05other end, I have to do this, I have to do that, if I think that then I am putting more
02:10pressure on myself, so I was thinking that how can I give my best in this situation,
02:15so that was my plan and I was bowling with that thinking only.
02:18Akshar, you are one of the few bowlers who have a good record against Surya Kumar, what
02:24do you do?
02:31No, see in T20 it is very important for you to be ahead, how you think ahead of the batsman,
02:40so what you plan is very important, if the batsman is thinking to hit you, obviously you
02:47watch videos, you watch everything, so I think that where he can hit me on the run and
02:51where he can hit me on my strength, so I cover all those bases and according to that I
02:56put the ball and I predict that I think he will go to hit the sweep shot or he will go
03:03to do something else, so I mix it up in my line length, for the sweep shot obviously
03:07you need a length ball, if that ball is not there then I try to put a fuller so that
03:12he feels uncomfortable, so I think that is the plan basically, yes sometimes it works
03:18and sometimes the batsman also thinks that he also watches videos, so that is my plan
03:26whenever I put the ball, if I put the ball in front of a good batsman then this is my
03:30plan.
03:32Akshay, not too many teams choose to go with three left arm spinners, it is kind of unique
03:40in a way, so how do you see and probably this will be the go to through the World Cup I
03:45am guessing if the wickets are like this, so how does it work, how do you plan and go
03:51about it and what is the thought process like for the three of you together?
03:58I think the thought process, obviously the captain and the coach will tell us what their
04:04thought process is, but my thought process is that as a left arm spinner I know what
04:11my role is, I can put the ball in the powerplay, in the middle or in the last 16th or 15th
04:17over, so I know what my role is, the captain can call me in any situation, so my plan is
04:26what the team needs at that time, if I feel that I need to attack at this time, I need
04:33to take the wicket, so I plan in that way, what can I do and if I feel that, like in
04:40Pakistan, when I came to put in the 16th over, it was like, if I give less in this over
04:46then it is very good for the team, so basically according to the situation I plan my bowling
04:52and like you said there are three left arm spinners, so obviously the wickets here, so
04:58I feel there is an advantage, there are three left arm spinners, two finger spinners and
05:03one wrist spinner, and I have played very well with both of them, so I think the combination
05:10of the three of us is very good, we communicate well, like whoever comes to put in the ball
05:16first, we communicate what is working on this wicket and what is not, so I think that
05:21is very important, when you bowl as a bowling unit.
05:26Akshar, in 4 overs, 3 for 7, that is an outstanding performance, particularly in a Super 8 game,
05:34but what is the perspective of the Indian team, when there is debriefing in the team,
05:40what do they talk about bowling, what do they analyse?
05:45When there is debriefing, it is like, obviously the things that are in the scorecard,
05:55everyone can see that, like you said 4 overs, 7 runs, 3 wickets, and the one who has 2 wickets,
06:01in the last game, Arshdeep had 4 overs, 9 runs, 4 wickets, so all that can be seen in the scorecard,
06:07when there is debriefing, it is like there are small things, like crucial moments,
06:11who is doing well in that, who is not, so all those things are there,
06:15obviously, the one who has a good day, he does it, but in the crucial situation,
06:23who has done well, that is 1 over or 2 overs, in T20, it is a 1-2 over game,
06:28when the game either goes that way or this way, so in debriefing, it is like,
06:32in that particular moment, obviously it was not your day, but you controlled it,
06:37like you could have gone for 20 runs, but you stopped at 10 runs, or 12 runs,
06:42or in a particular over, in death over, it is good that you executed the yorker,
06:47so all these things are there, and the planning is obviously, what to do next,
06:53this match is over, now who is next, and according to that, we make the plan.
06:58What do you think about Bhoomra's bowling?
07:00I don't think anyone talks much about Bhoomra's bowling,
07:06they have an idea of what to do and what not to do,
07:11so I think when it is going so well, I don't think,
07:14I think even the bowling coach is not giving much input,
07:17to create some confusion in their mind,
07:19they just say that you are doing well, your thinking is going well,
07:24so I think, as much as I have seen, they don't interfere much in bowling,
07:29during planning, they say that whatever your mindset is, it is clear,
07:35so just execute your plans.
07:41Akshar, thank you, you said that it would not be right to call Afghanistan's team unpredictable,
07:46you face them quite often, even in IPL,
07:49we are their fans, we feel that they can win anything, we love them,
07:53but you, as an opposition player or team,
07:56how serious do you take when you face Afghanistan,
07:59do you think you can go ahead in this tournament or any major tournament?
08:06See, as an opposition, I think this team can go ahead,
08:11I think in the coming years, this team will do even better,
08:15and obviously, like you said, how do you take the opponent team,
08:18if a team has reached the Super 8, obviously, they must have done well,
08:22it is not like they won 1-2 matches with a fluke or something,
08:27so I think those who have come to the Super 8,
08:30they have come with their hard work, they have defeated good teams and come to the Super 8,
08:34so even then I said that you cannot say unpredictable,
08:37and as an opposition, the talent they have,
08:40as much as we see, as a batsman, bowling,
08:42earlier the bowling unit was so good,
08:44now the batsmen are also playing a very good role,
08:49and are continuously performing,
08:52so I think in the coming years, this team can do even better,
08:57they can go ahead,
08:59and they have that talent,
09:01I think they have that hunger,
09:03that we have to do well,
09:05we have to take Afghanistan ahead,
09:07so I think that is the main thing,
09:09how can you take the team ahead with you,
09:13and I think the senior players, Rashid Khan and Nabi,
09:17I talk to them too,
09:19they say that how can we improve day by day,
09:22they talk to Indian players too,
09:24when they are in the IPL,
09:26what can we do new and what not,
09:28so they learn all this,
09:30and I think when they play with Afghanistan,
09:33they motivate the other players,
09:36and to take them ahead,
09:38that thinking is important,
09:40what thinking can you give to take the team ahead,
09:43your senior players can teach the youngsters,
09:47what is there and what is not,
09:49so I think as an opposition,
09:51they can do even better in the coming years.