Logical Or Overconfidence? Why Axar Patel Promoted Himself At No 4 Vs CSK

Why Axar came out to bat at 4 [Source: @AayushmaanRP17/X.com]

When Abhisek Porel departed, everyone expected Tristan Stubbs to come in and operate alongside KL Rahul at number 4, however, Axar Patel, the Delhi Capitals skipper sprung a surprise when he walked out to bat ahead of Stubbs and even Sameer Rizvi to bat alongside KL.

Eyebrows were raised on his promotion at 4, but here are perhaps three tactical reasons as tp why Axar came ahead of other proven batters.

1) To Counter spin-threat

CSK have plethora of spinners in the squad and Axar is a brilliant player of spin. Time and again he has proven his worth as a quality spin batter and this was one of the key reasons why he promoted himself at 4.

Plus, he will have an advantage against CSK's premium spinner, Ravindra Jadeja since his stock delivery will come into the left-hander and it will easy to target him. Noor Ahmad's stock ball will also come into him and hence to easily target them, Axar made the tactical call.

2) To continue with left-right combination

Abishek Porel and KL Rahul maintained the left-right combination and since the left-handed Porel got dismissed, Axar, the lefty came into bat to continue with the combination.

It becomes difficult for the bowlers to bowl at right lines and lengths when batters of two different stance play and hence to make CSK bowlers' job tougher, the left-handed captain decided to promote himself.

3) To lead from the front as the captain

Axar was made the captain as the team management saw a spark in him. To repay the faith and lead the team from the front, the skipper decided to come ahead of the hard-hitters like Tristan Stubbs.

Even in the Champions Trophy he was promoted at number 5 and the batter did wonders for India.

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