All-round Axar Patel shines bright in Vijay Hazare Trophy

Sunil Gavaskar's remarks seem to have fired Axar Patel up.

New Delhi: Axar Patel on Saturday showcased his ODI cricket mettle yet again, as he picked up six wickets against Tamil Nadu in the Vijay Hazare Trophy semi-final.

The Gujarat all-rounder came in to bowl when the opposition was in cruise control at 84 for 0 chasing a total of 248 runs.

Axar's six-wicket haul ensured a 31-run win for Gujarat and set up a finals clash with Delhi in the ODI tournament.

Apart from being his team's bowling spearhead, the 21-year-old has contributed with the bat as well.

Right through the tournament, the youngster's all-round ability has come to the fore.

Axar's performances in the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy:

Jharkhand: 2/30, 32*

Railways: 1/35, 75

Karnataka: 2/33, 27

Haryana: 0, 1/49

Jammu & Kashmir: 27, 2/20

Kerala: 3/16

Vidarbha: 2/22, 36*

Tamil Nadu: 17, 6/43

Recently, Axar was criticized by Sunil Gavaskar for his poor bowling. The legendary batsman's remarks seem to have fired Axar up.

Though he won't be part of India's T20 side against Australia early next year, Axar needs to make a big impact in the five-match ODI series Down Under.