IPL 2021: Axar Patel reveals how he convinced Rishabh Pant to bowl the Super Over

Axar Patel announced his return to the Indian Premier League 2021 in a magnificent way when he helped Delhi Capitals to beat Sunrisers Hyderabad at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. Patel came back into the team after having recovered from COVID-19, which he was tested positive with, a few weeks back. 

After missing the first four matches, Patel bowled a tight spell picking up two wickets from four overs and gave only 26 runs. However, his biggest contribution was Super Over which he bowled later and restricted Hyderabad to just a total of seven runs. After the match, Patel caught up with his Delhi teammate, Avesh Khan for an interview. 

During the interaction, Khan revealed that he was supposed to bowl the Super Over, having being told by the head coach, Ricky Ponting, and captain, Rishabh Pant. However, Axar Patel went and convinced Pant that he should be bowling the over. Avesh asked Axar what exactly he said to Pant, which made him change his mind. 

I was just thinking that it is very difficult to score runs against a spinner on this wicket: Axar Patel

The 27-year-old spinner explained that he felt the wicket was helping spinners a lot more than the faster bowlers. Khan, himself picked up three wickets but ended up giving 34 runs with his four overs. “I was just thinking that it is very difficult to score runs against a spinner on this wicket. I felt a spinner would be much better than a fast bowler on this wicket,” Axar said in the video which was uploaded by IPL’s official Twitter handle. 

The Gujarat all-rounder felt that the left-handed David Warner might find it difficult to hit towards the longer side of the ground, while the right-hander might get out if he takes a chance to the shorter side. “I went to the captain and explained how it would be difficult for the left-hander to target one side of the boundary, and the right-hander can get out if he takes a chance while targeting the shorter side,” Axar Patel revealed.

One shone bright on his comeback & delivered the Super Over while the other has been amongst the wickets. 👌👌

Presenting the @DelhiCapitals' bowling aces: @akshar2026 & Avesh Khan 😎😎 – By @28anand #VIVOIPL #SRHvDC

Watch the full interview 🎥 👇https://t.co/cbzKlVKG6t pic.twitter.com/EQNzo4bcMo

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 26, 2021

Patel’s bowling efforts and a collective showcase of skills, allowed the Delhi Capitals to win their third match on the trot, fourth in total in this season so far. They will travel to Ahmedabad where they will meet Royal Challengers Bangalore, another team with four wins from five matches, on April 27. 

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