Former Australian legend Ricky Ponting not too long ago opened up on serving to Axar Patel notice his true potential as a batter. The Delhi Capitals (DC) head coach revealed that the all-rounder did properly, given that he’s a fast learner and a considerate cricketer.
Axar has undergone an exceptional rise as a batter in the previous few months, primarily scoring runs at crunch moments in the course of the recently-concluded Check collection towards Australia. The 29-year-old was the second-highest run-getter within the Check collection towards Australia. His innings of 74 within the first innings of the second Check proved to be a defining one.
Talking to the Occasions of India, Ricky Ponting recalled Axar’s presence within the Mumbai Indians (MI) squad and recognized his batting expertise. The Tasmanian revealed that he confirmed a couple of movies to the all-rounder to make him notice his shortcomings.
“I really like to seek out technical gamers the place I can assist gamers. I coached Axar when he was very younger. I first coached him after I was there with Mumbai Indians. He was a part of that squad. I knew he had batting expertise,” he mentioned.
“However for those who look by the IPL, he did not produce as per his capacity. We made small modifications. I actually needed to sit again and present him a couple of movies and replay those the place I needed him to alter a couple of issues. He’s a fast learner as a result of he’s a really considerate cricketer,” Ponting added.
Axar Patel’s T20 numbers for India have additionally improved, particularly within the T20 collection towards Sri Lanka. The Gujarat-born cricketer struck 65 off 31 balls within the second T20I towards Sri Lanka earlier this yr, with India in pursuit of 207.
“He was near turning into the captain” – Ricky Ponting on Axar Patel
Ricky Ponting. (Picture Credit: Getty)
Talking of Delhi Capitals’ captaincy for IPL 2023, Ponting revealed that David Warner edged Axar Patel for the position attributable to profitable the IPL title for SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) and the kind of expertise he has.
“We now have seen how a lot he has grown over the past couple of years. Within the final 12 months, he has grown as a batter and India have proven sufficient religion in him to bat up the order. He was near turning into the captain. He was vice-captain to Rishabh Pant right here for the previous couple of years,” Ponting continued.
“He’s a part of the household right here. We actually thought of it. Just a bit little bit of expertise went David Warner’s approach. He has gained an IPL for SunRisers Hyderabad as captain. He began his IPL profession in Delhi and he’s a sturdy participant,” he added.
However, Delhi Capitals are but to get off the mark within the ongoing season, having misplaced their first two video games.
Fast Hyperlinks
Extra from Sportskeeda