Team India were able to get over the line by six wickets against Afghanistan while chasing down 159 runs in Mohali. It were Indian all-rounders Axar Patel and Shivam Dube, who played a major role in India’s win over the Afghani team. Axar bowled a clinical spell with the ball and picked up two wickets by giving away just 23 runs in 4 overs. On the other hand, Dube picked up a wicket with the ball and played an unbeaten 60-run knock which proved to be decisive in the match.
There has been a lot of competition in the Indian cricket team over the last few years. While there were a lot of players who deserved a place in the 2023 ODI World Cup squad, but only the best 15 players were picked up by the selectors for the tournament. Of the same 15 players, one was Axar Patel, who picked up for the tournament at first but he had to miss out due to an injury and R Ashwin was announced as his replacement.
However, Axar Patel has been very consistent with his performance and the selectors cannot neglect him due to which he is always picked for the team. After displaying a decent performance in the first IND vs AFG T20I match, Patel opened up about the increasing competition in the team.
Axar Patel admitted that there is competition in the Indian cricket team but he doesn’t think that way. Patel stated that anyone cannot control the result but the players have to give their 100 percent and also focus on the process. Patel added that he could do anything in the team and also spoke about his record.
Axar Patel opens up on the rising competition in Team India
Axar Patel said in the post-match press conference, “I think, see, I don’t think like that. Obviously, there is competition. But it depends on how you see it. You can’t control the result, but you can give your 100 per cent and focus on your process. You can’t put yourself under pressure by thinking about the World Cup right now. You have seen my record… I can do anything!.”
“My focus is on the next two matches right now. There’s IPL (in T20s) after that. In between, there is a five-Test series. It’s still long before the World Cup.”
The Indian cricket team selection committee had already started to prepare for the 2024 T20 World Cup after the conclusion of the 2022 edition of the tournament. The selectors had been giving chances to younger players and were preparing the core of the squad under Hardik Pandya, which produced great results.
However, Hardik Pandya faced an injury during the 2023 ODI World Cup and was ruled out from the whole tournament. Right after the conclusion of the CWC 2023, India played under Suryakumar Yadav in the T20I series against Australia and South Africa. However, Surya also got injured on the South African tour, and both players will now return to the Indian Premier League.
However, the Indian team were expected to be led by Hardik Pandya or Suryakumar Yadav in the 2024 T20 World Cup as Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma had been away from the T20I format for the last 14 months. However, the return of Rohit and Kohli has cleared up all the speculations and it is almost confirmed that the duo will play in the T20 World Cup 2024.
But, their inclusion in the team will certainly eat up places for many deserving players.
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