'When Team Is Going Through Bad Season...', Axar Patel's Bold Stance On Delhi Capitals Captaincy

IPL

Axar Patel, the all-rounder for Delhi Capitals, has expressed that he would have declined the offer to become the team's captain even if it had been presented to him during the middle of the season. Unfortunately, Delhi Capitals have had a disappointing season, being eliminated from the playoff race after winning only five out of their 13 games, leaving them at the bottom of the table.

"Mai chaalu series mey kisi ko kuch nahi bolta. Agar mere pass captaincy aati bhi toh mai leta nahi." (I don’t say much during the mid-season. Even if they had given me the captaincy, I would not have accepted it.) When your team is going through such a bad season, these kinds of things make it worse. You need to back your players, your captain and if you will change captaincy in the middle of the season it doesn’t send a good message," the all-rounder told Indian Express.

246 runs & 9 wickets for Axar Patel so far in IPL 2023.

The MVP of Delhi. pic.twitter.com/6y3eUdrD0H — Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) May 10, 2023

The team led by David Warner had a dismal start to the season, losing five consecutive matches, which led to suggestions from former cricketers to promote vice-captain Axar as the captain of the franchise. As regular captain Rishabh Pant was unavailable, Warner was given the responsibility of leading the team this season. Axar emphasized that changing the captaincy midway through the tournament would have established a negative precedent for the team.

"Things could have remained the same even if I was the captain. We failed collectively as a team, and you can’t blame the captain. I never had a chat about captaincy, but if I became a captain, then I would not take responsibility in the middle of a season. I don’t want to ruin the atmosphere of the dressing room," he added.

Axar Patel has shared insights into his preparations for the upcoming World Test Championship (WTC) Final. He mentioned that he is practicing with a duke ball, following the instructions provided by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Axar has been the second-highest run-scorer for the franchise this season, accumulating 268 runs and also taking 11 wickets in 13 games with an economy rate below seven. He revealed a conversation he had with Delhi Capitals head coach Ricky Ponting, which played a significant role in enhancing his run-scoring abilities.

"I am working with Ponting for the past five years. In 2020, when IPL was shifted to Dubai, I approached him and spoke to him about my weakness. I told him that I am not facing issues when the ball is pitched up but against short-pitch bowling, I am not able to hit the aerial pull, and in order to keep it down to the ground (the traditional thing I have been taught since childhood) I end up top-edging it. Ponting said ‘you need to open your shoulder a bit, and it will help you play more shots. Your off stump will be open, and you will have more space and more time to play your shots.’ It was a minor tweak, and I executed in two or three practice sessions," he said.