Who is the first player that comes to your mind, when one talks about under-rated Indian cricketers? There would be a section for sure, who will name Axar Patel. Throughout his career he has come up with performances, that go unnoticed, but he is definitely the sort of player, who does the job for his skipper. He bats in any position, bowls the hard overs in powerplay, gets wickets when the going gets tough, and also fields brilliantly.
Suryakumar apologises to Axar Patel?
He is also the one, when he is not around, the absence is felt rather instantly. Take for instance the IND vs SA encounter in the T20 World Cup 2026 — India lost that match by over 70 runs when Axar Patel was axed, bowling was pathetic, and the team was bundled out for 111 while chasing close to 200.
Going by Suryakumar Yadav’s admission, the all-rounder was angry for sure. “He was very angry, and he should have been. He’s an experienced player, he leads a franchise. He should be angry. I apologised. I told him I made a mistake and I’m sorry, but it was a call taken for the team,” Suryakumar told The Indian Express.
Just look at his record, only T20I for now. In 94 matches, he has 97 wickets at an economy of 7.40 only and has scored 702 runs at a strike-rate of 133. To explain further, mere stats won’t do justice to what he brings to the table. Starting with the IND vs WI clash, where India’s semis hopes rested, he returned with figures of 0/35.
He bats, he bowls, he fields
In match where no other bowler had an economy under 9, Axar Patel was manage to curtail some runs. Not to forget the England semis. When Jacob Bethell and Tom Banton had added 30 runs in together, he got rid of the latter. More importantly, he pouched a couple of unbelievable catches — of Harry Brook and Phil Salt, to keep India in the match. Also the partnership catch with Shivam Dube. Considering the team dropped 15 catches in the tournament, he emerged our safest pair of hands.
And then on the night of the final, he came quietly and did his business. While we all remember Bumrah’s four-wicket haul, we may tend to forget Axar’s 3/27 — where he got rid of dangerman Finn Allen, Glenn Philipps and Daryl Mitchell. Maybe it’s that smile he wears, that he isn’t considered a serious performer.
But he had a substantial role to play in the 2024 T20 World Cup triumph as well. There in 8 matches, he went on pick up 9 wickets, where his economy was under 8. Batting-wise, in the final vs the Proteas, when India were 3/34, he stepped up with 37 from 31 deliveries, playing his most crucial knock ever in the format.
So, it this T20 World Cup, it was business as usual for Axar. He will remain the same under-rated player, but as long as the performances keep coming up, what’s the harm. Perhaps, we would be talking about him in the same manner, after the 2027 World Cup too.
Cricket
'Sanju Samson didn't chase 100': Suryakumar Yadav reveals what he told star before T20 World Cup
