The Suryakumar Yadav-led Indian cricket team sealed the T20I series against Australia with a 20-run win in Raipur on Friday. After solid knocks from Rinku Singh, Jitesh Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ruturaj Gaikwad guided India to 174/9 in 20 overs, it was time for the bowlers to take over. Axar Patel took three wickets while Deepak Chahar scalped two as India restricted Australia to 154/7 in 20 overs. Axar Patel was named the ‘Player of the Match’.
On Saturday, a cryptic post by Axar Patel went viral. In the post on X, Axar wrote: “Move in silence. Only speak when it’s time to say checkmate.”
Move in silence.
Only speak when it’s time to say checkmate pic.twitter.com/snDyaPYxPI— Akshar Patel (@akshar2026) December 2, 2023
Axar Patel has admitted that he was upset after missing out on the ODI World Cup at home due to an injury and it took him about a week to get over the disappointment and focus on recovery. The 29-year-old was part of the Indian team in the run-up to the World Cup but a left quadricep injury during the Asia Cup forced him out, with Ravichandran Ashwin replacing him in the 15-member squad.
“Obviously, you are bound to be (disappointed). The World Cup was in India, but that injury happened. For the first few days, I was thinking about it, not being able to play due to injury,” Axar told reporters during the post-match press conference.
“But, the team was doing well, so after 5-10 days, I was back to training and was doing my rehab. But, yes, when you are out due to injury and those 5-10 days you are not able to do anything, you do feel a bit bad. After that, I returned to routine life.
“I was upset, but it happened due to an injury; it’s not in anyone’s hands. It’s part and parcel of the game.” Axar made an impressive return to international cricket, claiming five wickets in the series so far with his three-wicket haul setting up the 20-run win for India in the fourth T20I here on Friday night.
“If you are away from international cricket for some time due to injury and then come back, you try to prove yourself and you also have to look after your body, so I also took one match (at a time),” he said.
“When you come from injury you try to keep that part of the body safe. You are not able to give your full effort. It stays in the back of my mind.
“It doesn’t happen in that way because the trainer already tells you that nothing will happen but while sprinting, you feel what if something happens again to the quadricep.
“But the first couple of matches, I was back to routine. Now I don’t feel anything like that and the work that I put in the last one-and-a-half months, I am reaping the reward now, so I am happy overall.”
With PTI inputs
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