"I was telling him that he was not only waking up the fielders but me as well" - Axar Patel on his running between the wickets with Virat Kohli

Axar Patel has said light-heartedly that Virat Kohli's running between the wickets kept him on his toes and not just the Australian fielders.

Kohli scored 186 runs as India posted a first-innings total of 571 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday, March 12. The visitors ended the day at three for no loss, trailing the hosts by 88 runs heading into the last day of the fourth and final Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

In an interview with Star Sports, Axar Patel was asked about the time he spent in the middle with Virat Kohli, to which he responded:

"He was only coordinating with me. The running between the wickets he showed in such heat was one of the biggest positives. I was telling him that he was not only waking up the fielders but me as well at times. He was running twos and threes."

Axar was also asked if he was disappointed about missing out on a hundred, to which he replied:

"Obviously, the hundred that was missed. It happened two times previously as well, when I was on 84 and 74 and again now at 79. Today I had a partner to give me company, so it was even more disappointing."

Axar has missed out on well-deserved centuries all three times he has been dismissed in the series. He played 84 and 74-run knocks in India's first innings of the first two Tests in Nagpur and Delhi respectively. The southpaw played a Mitchell Starc delivery onto his stumps after scoring 79 on Sunday.

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"He told me that once I get adjusted to the pace of the wicket, it would become easier" - Axar Patel on his conversations with Virat Kohli

Axar Patel and Virat Kohli strung together a 162-run partnership. [P/C: BCCI]

Axar Patel was further asked about his conversations with Virat Kohli in the middle and his approach, considering the success he has enjoyed in the series with the bat, to which he replied:

"I just wanted to carry forward my confidence. When Virat bhai was there, he told me that nothing much was happening and that once I get adjusted to the pace of the wicket, it would become easier."

The spin-bowling all-rounder added that the modern batting great asked him to show a little more restraint when he was inclined to go for the big shots, saying:

"In between, he was asking me to be a bit cautious and that my bat was going too far ahead and looking for big shots. So all those conversations were going on, because of which we had a good partnership."

Axar joined Kohli in the middle at the fall of Srikar Bharat's wicket, with the score reading 393/5. The duo strung together a 162-run sixth-wicket partnership to all but end Australia's hopes of winning the game and drawing level in the series.