"People saying ODI cricket is dead are just dead inside" - Fans erupt as Axar Patel's incredible one-man show hands India thrilling win in 2nd IND vs WI ODI

Axar Patel seemed to be in his zone as whatever he tried seemed to come off the middle of the bat. (P.C.:Getty)
Axar Patel seemed to be in his zone as whatever he tried seemed to come off the middle of the bat. (P.C.:Getty)

Indian all-rounder Axar Patel played the best knock of his white-ball career so far in the second ODI against West Indies at Port of Spain on Sunday (July 24). His incredible unbeaten 64 off 35 balls took the Men in Blue over the line and gave them an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.

The 28-year-old walked out to bat when the game seemed to have almost slipped out of the visitors' hands. However, he found the middle of his bat right from the get-go and played some outrageously good shots to keep India in the game.

Despite running out of partners at the other end, Patel paced his innings to perfection. He stayed at the crease until the very end to ensure the visitors won their 12th consecutive ODI series against the Caribbean outfit.

Fans on Twitter were ecstatic, but also in disbelief as they saw Axar Patel almost come of age as a batter with this incredible knock. Some feel that he will now provide tough competition to Ravindra Jadeja for the No. 7 spot in the Indian white-ball team.

One fan also felt the match proved why one-day cricket can still serve up some nerve-wracking contests amidst fans and pundits questioning the format's future:

"An innings for ages for Axar Patel. What a game. People saying ODI cricket is dead are just dead inside."

Here are some more reactions:


Axar Patel was smart enough to pick the bowlers he wanted to attack

Earlier, Shreyas Iyer (63) and Sanju Samson (54) put up a 99-run stand to help India recover from 79/3. However, the duo departed in quick succession. India were still in the chase, but the probability of a win seemed to be diminishing.

Deepak Hooda struggled to find the middle of the bat and it was important for India to take on left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein. Axar Patel did the job really well as he smashed a couple out of the ground to gave India's chase some much-needed momentum.

Hooda and Shardul Thakur were guilty of losing their wickets to loose shots but their dismissals didn't faze Patel. He batted well with the tail and got a bit of help from debutant Avesh Khan, who smashed a couple of boundaries.

Patel finally pumped Kyle Mayers straight down the ground with six needed off three balls to ensure that his maiden ODI half-century came in a winning cause.

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