VIDEO COURTESY: ICC
Axar Patel (India player) post-match Press Conference - 20th June 2024
[Reporter:]
The plans went off accordingly and how was it to win here and get off to a good start and especially an unpredictable team like Afghanistan?
[Axar Patel:]
You can't say they are an unpredictable team. Many of the Afghanistan players have played league matches all over the world. So, I don't think they are an unpredictable team. But you have to be more accurate against these teams because you never know what they can do on a particular day. So, I think that was the plan. We must stick with our basics, not thinking about what they can do, what their plans are. We are just sticking to our basics and our plans and that works.
[Reporter:]
When you bowl after a bowler like Jasprit Bumrah, how much confidence and morale do you have?
[Axar Patel:]
See, obviously Jasprit Bumrah is a world class bowler, and you know that with the quality of bowlers we have in our side - we can get out of a tough situation. So, at that time you have to think about what you have, what is your strength, what are your weaknesses. So don't think much about what the other bowler did, like you said in partnerships we should bowl like this. I was just thinking that on this wicket what works for me. Like, after 1-2 balls, I realised that if I change the pace and length, it is better on this wicket. That’s what I was doing.
I was not thinking that he has bowled so well from the other end, I will have to do this and that. If I think that way, I am putting more pressure on myself. I was thinking how I can give my best in this situation. That was my plan and I was bowling with that thinking.
[Reporter:]
Axar, you are one of the few bowlers who have a good record against Surya Kumar. What do you do?
[Axar Patel:]
See, in T20 it is very important for you to be ahead. How you think ahead of the batsman, what you plan is very important. If the batsman is thinking to hit you, obviously you watch videos, so I think where he can hit me for runs and where he can hit me on my strength. So, I cover all those bases and according to that I put the ball. And I predict that I think he will go to hit a sweep shot or do something else. So, I mix it up in my line length. For the sweep shot, you need a length ball. If you don't have that ball, I try to put a fuller one so that he is uncomfortable. I think that's the plan. Sometimes it works, sometimes not. Obviously, the batsman also comes and thinks - he also watches the online videos. So, yeah, that's the plan I have, whenever I bowl. If I bowl in front of a good batsman, then this is my plan.
[Reporter:]
Now too many teams choose to go with three left arm spinners. And probably this will be the go-to through the World Cup I'm guessing if the wickets are like this. How does it work? How do you plan and go about it and what's the thought process like for the three of you together?
[Axar Patel:]
I think the thought process, obviously the captain and coach will tell us what their thought process is. My thought process is, as a left arm spinner, I know what my role is. I can bowl in the powerplay, middle or towards the last, in the 16th or 15th over. I know my role well. I can be called by the captain in any situation. My plan is to know what the team needs at that time. If I feel that I need to attack at this time, I need to take wickets, then I plan in that way what I can do. And if I feel that, like in Pakistan, when I came to bowl the 16th over, I felt that if I give less runs in this over, it will be very good for the team.
So, basically according to the situation, I plan my bowling and as you said there are 3 left arm spinners, so obviously the wickets here, I feel there is an advantage. There are 3 left-arm spinners out of which we have 2 finger spinners and 1 wrist spinner. I have played with all of them very well. I think the combination of the three of us is very good. We have a good team. We communicate well. Like whoever comes to bowl first, we communicate what is working and what is not. I think that is very important when you bowl as a bowling unit.
[Reporter:]
Axar, 3 for 7 in 4 overs is an outstanding performance, particularly in a Super 8 game. But what is the perspective of the Indian team? When there is debriefing in the team, what do they talk about bowling? What do they analyse?
[Axar Patel:]
When there is debriefing, it is obvious that everyone can see the things on the scorecard, like you said 4 overs, 7 runs, 3 wickets and who has 2 wickets, last time Arshdeep had 4 overs, 9 runs, 4 wickets. So, all that is seen in the scorecard.
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29 сен 2024
