2nd Test: India reap rewards of Axar Patel’s new-found hunger for runs | Cricket News – Times of India

NEW DELHI: “I won’t call Axar and Ashwin lower order. They can easily bat in the top six in some other team. India don’t have a lower order. They have a long top order,” Nathan Lyon said after the eighth-wicket partnership between Axar Patel and R Ashwin nearly spoilt Australia’s charge in the second Test on Saturday.
Lyon has probably got used to Indian batters from No. 6 onwards disturbing Australia’s plans since the Sydney Test in Jan 2021. But for Axar, it has been the urge to add another skill beside left-arm spin to his resume. He has steadily worked his way up the order for India and Delhi Capitals. The change in Axar’s efficacy has been distinctive.
“It’s all about confidence,” Axar blushed when told about Lyon’s statement. “I have been a carrying my form in the white-ball period into the Test series.”

Things, he says, changed for him a year ago. “I spoke to Ricky Ponting (Delhi Capitals coach) about what more I could do. I was getting content with small contributions of 25-30 runs with the bat. Sometimes when you play as an allrounder and have a good day with the ball, you tend to relax.
“It was about bringing about a change in mindset. I had to learn to finish a game when I got starts. It was about getting to 70s and 80s. I worked on my concentration and it started to show for Capitals,” Axar said. That his hunger has multiplied was clear when he talked about the disappointment of missing out on a century twice in this series.
Here’s what may be working for Axar in comparison to India’s struggling top order, if one goes by Lyon’s plan of attack. “I was trying to keep the Indian batters defending. I have had some great battles with Cheteshwar Pujara. But the plan becomes to bowl tight lines and keep them defensive,” Lyon said. That’s exactly how he accounted for India’s top three of Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul and Pujara on Saturday.

Axar’s approach was different. He looked to attack the Australian spinners. “When I was batting with Ashwin, we felt that the pitch was getting easier to bat on as we spent more time. We decided that we need to cash in and look to score quickly. When I am bowling, we think how the batter is making things difficult for us. I use the same technique while batting. If the bowler is landing all the balls in the same area, the batters keep defending confidently. While batting, we also try to defend confidently and force him to change his tactics. Having a bowler’s mindset helps in batting as well,” he elaborated.
Axar has been smart in his endeavour to make a swift pivot in his career. It’s not just him but India are also reaping the rewards of his effort.