Axar Patel reflects on his batting heroics on day 2 of Nagpur Test
Axar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja [Source: AP]
Riding on marvellous batting efforts from Rohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel, India eventually claimed the driving seat in the first Test against Australia in Nagpur.
In response to Australia's first innings total of 177 runs, the hosts capitalised on the favourable batting conditions, reaching 321 for 7 at stumps on day 2.
After Rohit Sharma fell prey to an unplayable Pat Cummins delivery, all-rounders Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel held the fort for India, stitching a sensational unbeaten 81-run stand.
After the game concluded, Patel reflected on his valiant batting effort. Speaking to Sanjay Manjrekar, the Gujarat-born explained how his recent success with the bat motivated him to perform in this innings.
The 29-year-old also spoke on the nature of the surface, terming patience as the key to success.
"I think I have been batting well since the last year. This gave me the confidence to score today. I think there is a bit of difficulty at the beginning of the inning but if you get used to it, then it becomes easy to score runs. You have to stay focused as anything can happen on any ball. So, we were trying to stay focused and rotate the strike sensibly. The pitch will be favourable till we bat tomorrow, and when we get the chance to bowl, we'll find support."
Axar is currently batting on 52 and will look to make it count by scoring a hundred when he comes out to bat on day three of the Test match.
 "Debashis Sarangi")
