NEW YORK: Axar Patel is a player who invariably goes a bit under the radar. Even on Monday, as India fought back to beat Pakistan in a thriller, there weren’t too many discussions about the allrounder’s performance, both with the bat and the ball.
At a time when India were reduced to 19-2 with Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma both back in the pavilion, Axar was promoted to an unfamiliar No. 4 spot where he came up with a vital 20 off 18 balls, which was a significant contribution on a difficult pitch. And with the ball, he followed up a brilliant 15th over by Jasprit Bumrah with a stingy one where he did not allow Imad Wasim and Shadab Khan to cut loose.
