‘I got selected because I was different’, Axar opens up about his career progression

Left-arm spinner Axar Patel, who made his international debut in 2014 and is now one o the top-rated spinners in the country said that his ability to retain his uniqueness and while being different from other spinners helped him get the national cal up so early.

In an interview with The Times of India, Axar talked about various aspects of his bowling and key elements that he added to improve his skills. He said that he has been working on his pace variations and has also worked to improve his batting.

When asked about the preparations for the upcoming T20 World Cup, Axar said, “The World Cup is definitely in the back of our minds but we haven’t spoken much about it. The IPL playoffs are the best preparation because, in IPL, most of your rivals in the World Cup will be there. We know that we will be putting pressure on ourselves if we obsess about planning for the World Cup.”

He also talked about dealing with the negativities and handling the critics when things are not going good on the field.

“I was criticized whenever I had an off day. I heard a lot of taunts. Then I analysed myself and felt that nobody likes the way I bowl and yet I played for India. That meant there’s something special about me. I got selected because I was different from other left-arm spinners,” said the 27-year-old who has been in an amazing form for Delhi Capitals in IPL 2021.

Axar is part of the upcoming T20 World Cup that will start on October 17. India will be playing its first match against Pakistan on October 24th.

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