Axar Patel’s rise in the last one year has been phenomenal. Playing for Kings XI Punjab (KXIP), he won the emerging player of the IPl award in his first season and, within months made his ODI debut against Bangladesh. He was also part of India’s World Cup squad, although he didn’t get a chance to play. This season of IPl isn’t going well for KXIP but Axar is still doing well for the side taking 9 wickets with an economy rate of 7.92. He tells Amit Chaudhary how team’s performance as a whole has affected his own performance, what he learnt during his time with the Indian team and why he doesn’t need to flight the ball to become a Test bowler. Excerpts:
How is your season going according to youIJ
Obviously our team is not doing as good as last year. But, on personal level, I think I am doing well. Not as good as I wanted to but it’s good.
What are the things that are affecting your performanceIJ
I don’t think there is anything wrong with my bowling, batting or anything else. But when your team doesn’t do well, it also affects your individual performance. I think because our team is not doing well, it is affecting my individual performance.
last year you won the emerging player of the IPl award. Has that put you under any kind of pressure this yearIJ
Yes it was a good year for me. We all did well last year and this year people expected us to perform at a certain level. But I don’t think I am under any sort of pressure. All I am thinking at the moment is that I have to do well like the way I was doing last year. I need to take it match by match. I need to think about the next immediate match, not about the previous year. I need to concentrate on what I am doing right now. I am not thinking about the past.
In last one year you have achieved a lot. You went from being a Ranji Trophy player to an international cricketer. You were there in the World Cup squad too. How do you see itIJ
A lot has changed in last one year because of IPl. It’s been a great journey. IPl is a great platform for the youngsters. Now they have more opportunities to showcase their talent and play for India at a young age. This is good for youngsters like me. What is even better is that the senior players in the Indian team back you. There is a lot to learn from them. So, it’s been a good one year for me. Hope the good time continues.
How was your time with the national teamIJ What all did you learnIJ
I was there for the World Cup and I got to learn a lot about the mindset of senior players, how they approach a match, how they prepare for a match. Even when you bowl to them in nets, there is a lot you can learn. I try to read batsmen’s mind when they face me. So, in those 3-4 months that I was with Indian team, I learnt so many things and now I am trying to apply all that in the IPl.
How much importance do you give to your battingIJ
A lot actually. I mean when I go into the nets, I give it a good time. Generally, my turn to bat comes in pressure situations like when a lot of wickets have fallen or the team needs quick runs in the last few overs or balls. So, I try to bat like that in the nets keeping in my mind the role I would need to play in the match.
In last few months, a couple of players have mentioned that Twenty20 cricket is easier than the ODIs because of rule changes. What’s your viewIJ
I don’t think T20s are any easier than ODIs. Obviously, for bowlers it (T20) is easier because of five-fielder rule in the ODIs. Batsmen have more gaps to score runs now. Yes it has become difficult for bowlers but if you are doing well then no format is difficult. So, in my opinion, all three formats are similar if you are doing well.
Do you think your kind of bowling is suitable for Test cricketIJ Or you would like to add a bit of flight to the ballIJ
No, I don’t think you need to flight the ball in Test cricket. The kind of cricket we are playing currently, you don’t see batsmen scoring 50 in 200 balls. You can’t give much flight these days. I think my bowling is perfectly suitable for Tests. It’s all about taking wickets.