Left-arm spinner Axar Patel helped a reeling Kings XI Punjab pull off an unlikely win over table-toppers Gujarat Lions on Sunday, courtesy of a brilliant hattrick. Speaking to the Mumbai Mirror after the match, Patel revealed the role played by KXIP mentor Virender Sehwag in his resurgence.
"My mind is clearer now than before. Earlier, I'd think too much about what I must do, but not anymore," said the Gujarat all-rounder. Opening up on how Sehwag helped him, Axar stated,"He (Sehwag) asked me to do my own bowling analysis after every game. He wanted me to understand if my bowling style has changed over the years."
"Since every bowler is unique, he stressed that I shouldn't ache to be what I am not. He felt I must not stress over deceiving batsmen in flight or change my trajectory too often, which is not my style anyway," added the youngster who has frequently been in and out of the national team of late.
In an inspired spell of bowling which saw him record figures of 4 for 21, Axar Patel blew away the Gujarat Lions batting line-up by getting rid of Dwayne Smith, Dinesh Karthik, Dwayne Bravo and Ravindra Jadeja in a space of just 5 deliveries bowled by him. Patel's effort was enough to derail GL's chase and they eventually fell short of KXIP's score of 154 by 23 runs, handing the Punjab side a rare victory this season.
Patel, however, was unable to live up to his reputation of an all-rounder as he was dismissed for a second-ball duck earlier in the match. "When you bat in the lower middle-order, you do get indecisive. You aren't sure whether to hit or guard your wicket. Maybe that's the reason I haven't been able to prove myself," the 22-year old said about the possible reason behind his struggles with the bat so far.
Axar Patel's return to form with the ball is certainly good news for the Kings XI Punjab and they will be hoping he can contribute with the bat as well.
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