Axar Patel discusses his role as 'floater' in T20 World Cup 2024

All-rounder Axar Patel played a crucial role in India's success in the recently concluded T20 World Cup. He performed well with the bat when needed and also took nine wickets with an economy rate of 7.86 in eight matches. In the final, Axar built a vital 52-run partnership with Virat Kohli after being promoted up the batting order, helping India recover from a shaky start.

Axar revealed that he found out about his promotion just moments before walking out to bat in the final. He wasn't nervous and approached the innings with a simple mindset: 'see the ball, hit the ball'. He explained that while many players prefer a fixed batting position, he embraced his role as a floater, seeing it as a sign of trust from the team management.

“Every batsman likes to have a fixed batting position because it becomes a bit easy for him to plan for his role. But as a floater, I feel that the captain and coach trust you which is why they are sending you in tough situations. I am taking that in a positive way,” Axar was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.

Axar also discussed how he has improved as a batter in recent years, which has not gone unnoticed by the team management. This improvement is one reason he was selected for the ODI series against Sri Lanka, ahead of veteran Ravindra Jadeja.

“When the team needs someone to stand up, they are banking on me to deliver. That means they have seen something in me. When the team trusts you to deliver in such crunch situations, you start trusting yourself even more automatically. And once you deliver in one or two matches, it gives your confidence a different sort of boost altogether,” he further added.