Axar Patel’s hilarious response to question about his batting position

Axar Patel’s knock of 54 off 25 balls from the No 7 slot, which helped Delhi Capitals reach a respectable 172 against Mumbai Indians, was one of the few positives for DC from the Tuesday IPL 2023 match. The Rohit Sharma-led MI eventually chased down the target on the last ball and won their first match of the season, but Axar once again highlighted the prowess he possesses with the bat and raised question marks on his current batting position.

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Axar had a funny take when he was asked about his batting position after the match. The all-rounder who already has 108 runs in four games at a strike rate of 169 said that despite him batting at No 7, he ends up being in the middle for 10-12 overs.

“I also thought about that, but then I realised that I am still batting 10-12 overs (laughs). Wherever I bat, up the order or No. 7, I am feeling the same, so I am not talking much about it. 10-12 overs are enough for me, the way I am batting,” Axar said in the post-match press conference.

The India player then went on to explain the reason why he has been asked to bat lower down the order.

“We have discussed this, but if you look at our batting order, domestic players can play spin well. If I bat higher in the order, the question arises as to who will do the finishing job. The captain and the coach, when they sit down to discuss strategy, they also think about what would happen if he (Axar) gets out early. So there are two ways to think about it.”

IPL 2023: DC vs MI top moments

While Axar is having a great time with the bat, his captain at DC, David Warner is struggling with his strike rate. Warner has scored three fifties so far in IPL 2023 but his overall strike rate is 115.

Even in the game against MI, Warner made a 47-ball 51 which somewhere didn’t allow Delhi Capitals to post a much bigger target.

Talking about his skipper’s struggle, Axar clarified that Warner has not been asked to play the role of an anchor.

“No one has asked him (to anchor the innings). Even in the last couple of games, when he has been trying to hit, it’s not been coming off. As a batsman, I don’t know what he is thinking at that moment. When Prithvi is batting, he has to anchor but after that when wickets keep falling in front of him, it’s not good to keep attacking. Even when he is trying, it’s not coming off. Everyone spoke to him – Ricky (Ponting) , (Shane) Watson, Dada (Sourav Ganguly). The conversation about his strike rate also came up. They looked at his videos and he’s working on it,” Axar said.

Talking about the loss against MI, DC’s fourth in four matches this season, Axar blamed himself as well for the defeat. The all-rounder got out on the first ball of the 18th over which led to a batting collapse with four quick dismissals as DC were bowled out for 172.

“I would blame myself as well a bit. There were 10 balls left, so maybe I could have been a bit more watchful instead of going for the big shot. But, I was in good flow, so I thought if I could connect early, there would be more pressure on the bowler,” he said.

“It’s not easy for new batters to come in and hit the ball right away. Their (Mumbai’s) batters also struggled. It could have been a different game if we had 176-180 instead of 172.”

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