Axar Patel discussed his crucial breakthrough in dismissing Pakistan’s Mohammad Rizwan for 46 during the Champions Trophy 2025 match on February 23. Rizwan, who had been dropped off Hardik Pandya’s bowling, was dismissed by Axar shortly after he and Saud Shakeel had stabilized Pakistan’s chase. The pair had steadied the innings after Pakistan were 47-2 in the 10th over. With Pakistan approaching 150, Rizwan attempted a slog off Pandya but was dropped by Harshit Rana. Axar capitalized on the opportunity by removing Rizwan in the very next over.
“Clearly, there was a plan in place. Just before that, Hardik’s bowling had seen a dropped catch, and I could see that he was quite upset. When it was my turn to bowl, I didn’t expect him to attack me right from the first ball, so I decided to bowl it slower. He might have anticipated a fuller length on that pitch, but I aimed for a slower delivery, knowing they were looking to rotate the strike. I feel lucky to have been part of both breakthroughs,” Axar Patel said.
Kuldeep Yadav, who had struggled since his injury, was in top form against Pakistan. He bowled with flight and variations, dismissing Salman Ali Agha, Naseem Shah, and Shaheen Afridi in his final spell.
“Recovering from an injury takes time, and it’s only after playing matches that you really regain your rhythm. I think he was out for about 3-4 months and played a couple of games before getting back into the groove. He had been working hard in practice, trying to find his rhythm from before,” Axar continued in the same interview.
“You could tell that he wasn’t at his best until the 40th over today. But the team really supported him, encouraging him and reminding him that he could do it for us. And after that, we saw how he picked up his game, started to bowl with more air, used his natural variations, and seemed much more confident,” he concluded.
Kuldeep finished with 3-40 off nine overs, helping bowl Pakistan out for 241. India won by six wickets.
The post “Hardik was upset”: Axar Patel reveals what happened before Rizwan’s wicket appeared first on Crictoday.
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