Team India all-rounder Axar Patel has earned the respect of one and all as he performed a stunning rescue act on day one of the opening round of the Duleep Trophy. Plying his trade for India D against India C, Axar scored more than half the runs of the team total to propel them to 164 from 48/6 at one stage.
With India C electing to field first, Anshul Kamboj and Vijaykumar Vyshak sparked a top-order collapse as one of the top 5 made it to double-figures. Shreyas Iyer, the captain, managed only 9 runs before walking back. However, Axar stood up for his team after walking in at No.7. The likes of Srikar Bharat, Saransh Jain, and Arshdeep Singh chipped in with 13 runs each, while Axar's score by the end of the innings was 86 off 118 balls, laced with 6 fours and as many sixes.
With the left-arm spinner also chipping in with a couple of wickets, he has almost fixed his spot in India's Test squad for the two-Test series against Bangladesh, beginning on September 19. Fans have equated his rescue act in the Duleep Trophy to that of his innings of 47 against South Africa in T20 World Cup 2024 final.
Here's how netizens have reacted to Axar Patel's heroic knock:
