NEW DELHI: Axar Patel was taken aback when Virat Kohli abruptly cut short his post-match interaction with Hardik Pandya after the 2021 pink ball Test. “Baapu tari bowling kamal che (Your bowling is great),” Kohli said, leaving Hardik and Axar in splits. The Gujarat all-rounder’s bowling has dismantled the opposition on many occasions. However, the attribute that particularly stood out in the 2026 FIFA World Cup T20 semi-final against England is Axar’s fielding as the 32-year-old cricketer performed one miracle after another.The Gujarat all-rounder took three catches, notably coming to the fore with his excellent relay catch with Shivam Dub at deep point to send Will Jacks back to the pavilion.
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Axar ran down the left, kept his composure despite being close to the rope, and smartly bowled the ball towards Shivam Dube. The 32-year-old cricketer had earlier taken a superb leaping full-length running catch to dismiss Harry Brook, drawing comparisons with Kapil Dev’s similar catch in the 1983 World Cup final. England bore the brunt of Axar’s wrath after he was dropped from the match against South Africa, with many pundits citing the all-rounder’s catches as a bigger determining factor than Jasprit Bumrah’s spell in India’s seven-run win.“Axar’s training sessions are always intense and he pushes others to maintain the same level. He is a natural fielder and very self-motivated, he takes the initiative to train from different positions,” said former Gujarat Ranji head coach Hitesh Majumdar during an exclusive interaction with TimesofIndia.com.
Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel and Sohum Desai (Special Arrangements)
Former Indian fielding coach R Sridhar hailed Axar as someone who constantly pushes his limits and maintains a student’s curiosity and mentality. The versatile user enjoys greater peace of mind through experience in a variety of situations and also benefits from visualization techniques. Keeping things simple while maintaining brief but effective conversations was a key attribute in Sridhar’s interactions with the Gujarat cricketer.The deadly look of MS Dhoni The 32-year-old cricketer is currently one of the safest fielders in the world and draws comparisons with Ravindra Jadeja. Interestingly, Axar once drew a ‘death stare’ from MS Dhoni and also a look of frustration from Virat Kohli for his delivery in September 2017 against Australia in Bengaluru. The all-rounder was slow to respond as he lined up at third man with a lethargic return that allowed the Australians to add two runs.Despite being a natural athlete, Axar was not always a model professional and made excuses to avoid training in the gym, earning him the nickname “Oscar” from his friends. The Gujarati cricketer also loved consuming junk food which never reflected on his passport. Former Team India Strength and Conditioning coach Soham Desai played a key role in taking Axar to the next level and started the transformation process from 2018 which eventually came together around 2020-21.
Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah and Hitesh Majumdar (special arrangement)
“He was a very gifted and naturally gifted athlete, but he lacked the people to help him maximize his potential. Axar got injured every now and then with something or the other. There was definitely a lack of structure that could drive long-term growth and excellence,” Desai said.“Growing up in Gujarat, Axar developed unhealthy eating habits, consuming things that are not at all conducive to becoming an athlete. Certain adjustments were made in timing of meals, volume of consumption and avoidance of wrong foods,” he added.Damage reduction from 80% to 10%The strength and conditioning coach further made some changes to Axar’s training and preparation and designed a sustainable template. The all-rounder’s injuries were drastically reduced, from 70-80% to 5-10%, allowing him to give his best.“Condition is definitely a big factor in aspects like the field, which has athletic demands. Even if you look at Axar’s catches, it’s also the anticipation and getting the body in position to make the catch,” he said.
Axar Patel dives to catch England captain Harry Brook. (NOT a photo)
“We’ve identified certain movements in the gym or muscle groups that can cause injury, we’ve prevented that and worked to build endurance and robustness. We’ve focused on developing enough endurance to sustain the load under fatigue or pressure approaching 30, when natural fitness declines,” added the strength and conditioning coach.Desai praised Axar’s determination and praised his mental strength as he stuck to the process. The focus has always been on excellence and continuous growth, following a challenging path not taken by others. “Trophies and catches are simply a by-product of efforts to build foundations and fitness reserves that Axar never considered before,” he said.
