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 nicely, 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 in opposition to Australia. The 29-year-old was the second-highest run-getter within the Check collection in opposition to Australia. His innings of 74 within the first innings of the second Check proved to be a defining one.
Chatting with 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 number 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 if you happen to look by the IPL, he did not produce as per his potential. We made small adjustments. I actually needed to sit again and present him a number of movies and replay those the place I needed him to alter a number 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 in opposition to Sri Lanka. The Gujarat-born cricketer struck 65 off 31 balls within the second T20I in opposition to Sri Lanka earlier this yr, with India in pursuit of 207.
“He was near turning into the captain” – Ricky Ponting on Axar Patel
Talking of Delhi Capitals’ captaincy for IPL 2023, Ponting revealed that David Warner edged Axar Patel for the position resulting from profitable the IPL title for SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) and the type of expertise he has.
“Now we have seen how a lot he has grown during the last 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 considered it. Just a bit little bit of expertise went David Warner’s method. 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.