‘Very difficult to read from his hand’ – Axar Patel lavishes praise on Varun Chakravarthy’s bowling after the latter's fifer vs New Zealand

India’s star all-rounder Axar Patel has come out and heaped huge praise on Varun Chakravarthy. The 33-year-old picked five wickets for 42 runs from his 10 overs in the game against New Zealand on Sunday. This was Chakravarthy’s second-ever ODI match, and he was named player of the match for his efforts. 

Speaking to the media after the game, Axar Patel, while praising his teammate said, “Credit goes to him. The T20 WC (2021) was not a good experience for him. But after that he has come back and his mental skill shows how ready he is. I think he is carrying forward his performances in T20s to ODIs,"

The 31-year-old also said, “It is very difficult to read from his hand. And the pace with which he bowls is very difficult. So, I think if a batter misses the line, there is a higher chance of getting out. He is fast in the air also”. India won the match by 44 runs and topped Group A and are set to face Australia in the semi-finals. 

‘The approach has changed’ – Axar Patel on batting in middle-order 

Axar Patel was sent in ahead of KL Rahul and Hardik Pandya on Sunday in the game against New Zealand. The 31-year-old scored 42 runs with the bat and also added 98 crucial runs for the fourth wicket with Shreyas Iyer. With the ball, Patel bowled 10 overs, gave away 36 runs and got the key wicket of Kane Williamson with the last ball of his spell. 

When asked to speak about his approach while batting in the middle-order, Patel said, “When I get an opportunity, I try to bat based on the situation. But now, the approach has changed. Earlier, I used to come down and had to make runs quickly. Now, I know that there are more batsmen behind me, so I can play accordingly."

Indian star player also added, “I know that I have a lot of time. It depends on the requirements of the team as well and if I feel that I have to attack the spinner, I play accordingly, like I had a partnership and we could have a good total”.