Before the mega auction this year, Axar Patel was the only player who was retained by Kings XI Punjab as he played a little but a very significant role in the bright show of the team.
However, Axar Patel had a very lukewarm start to the league 2018 because of his sudden and untimely injury has kept him away from the playing XI squad, but he has now reclaimed his spot.
Recently in an interview with sportskeeda , he revealed a lot of things about him from on and off the ground.
He was asked about not having to play a significant role this season, to which Axar replied:
“See, I was very happy to know that I was the only one to have been retained by Kings XI leading up to the tournament, and it’s unfortunate that I haven’t been able to play much after getting injured.
But now that I am fit, I am extremely eager to get back into action. Seeing how our first half of the tournament has been, I would love to contribute to the team’s success and make sure we keep doing well. “
Axar was asked about playing under Ravichandran Ashwin, the skipper of KXIP who is a bowler, to which he replied:
“As a bowler, it is always good to have a captain who is a bowler himself. The communication about how to make strategies against a particular batsman and all gets easier in such a case because at the end of the day, only a bowler can understand a bowler fully.
And of course, it has been a great experience playing under Ashwin, because he keeps giving ideas on areas to work on and how to improve.”
He was then asked about the lessons learnt from KXIP’s so-close-yet-so-far IPL campaign 2014, to which Axar replied:
“I think it would be a big mistake to think too much about what happened in the past or what may happen in the future.
We should just continue playing in the manner in which we have been playing and not worry about qualification. It’s about taking one game at a time, doesn’t matter if you win or lose. It’s about taking lessons from each game and moving forward. “
When asked about his hectic schedule and finding ways to relax, he said:
“Everyone has their own way to relax, some like listening to music, some read. But in my case, it’s a little different. I watch South Indian movies dubbed in Hindi to unwind.
I know it’s weird, but I make sure that whenever someone sits with me, he also sees the same South Indian movie with me. “
Axar was about to name some pranksters from the team, but:
“Ummm…give me some time to think (someone in his unit shouts out his name overhearing the question)”
Speaking about the potential competition in the race to the IPL final, he said:
“I think Chennai Super Kings are doing well and can make it [to the finals]. If you see, they have one new player being the match-winner in every other game, and both their batting and bowling units are firing.
Based on how they are playing right now, they stand a strong chance of making it to the finals.”
Well, he was asked a nail biting question from the team of Sportskeeda, he was asked who he’d rather avoid bowling to, Yuvraj Singh or Chris Gayle, when both are in explosive form, to which he brilliantly replied:
“If you ask me, as a bowler, I will always want to bowl no matter what. No intention to let them keep playing, especially if they are in explosive form. But since they are on my team, I will want them to play all 20 overs and keep hitting fours and sixes. “
The team of Sportskeeda also organised rapid fire questions, which was brilliantly answered by Axar.
Favourite Song: ‘Tum Hi Ho’ by Arijit Singh
Dish that makes you feel at home: None, unless the dish is actually made at home, it’s anyway difficult to get Gujrati food outside
Best friend in the cricket world: Hardik Pandya
Bowler you hate facing in the nets: Jasprit Bumrah
Major superstition: I always step onto the field putting my right leg forward, and look at the sun once.
We wish all the luck to Axar Patel for the upcoming matches of the league. Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.
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