Akshar Patel has been in good form ever since returning from the injury that sidelined him from the ICC World Cup 2023. Patel returned to action in the Australia T20I series at home after the CWC 2023 and did well in South Africa and against Afghanistan in 1st T20I.
After India captain Rohit Sharma won the toss and opted to field first, Akshar showcased his prowess in the first T20I against Afghanistan by taking two wickets and conceding 23 runs in four overs. Afghanistan made 158/6 with Mohammad Nabi top-scoring with 42.
In response, despite losing Rohit Sharma for a duck and Shubman Gill for 23, India managed to win the match by 6 wickets in the 18th over. Shivam Dube made 60*, while Jitesh Sharma made 31 runs.
Expressing his perspective in the post-match press conference, Patel stated, "My job is to give 100 percent to my work ethic and the process. I am not worrying too much about what will happen to the World Cup team selection, and if I do that, I will be putting pressure on myself."
Patel said that his current focus was doing well in the IPL 2024, where he will play for Delhi Capitals. He feels a standout performance in the IPL will bolster his chances of securing a spot in the T20 World Cup squad scheduled for June.
"Yeah, we are going to play the last two T20Is before the World Cup, and then we have the IPL. I know there is a lot of competition out there (for a WC spot in India team), but my competition is to myself, and I just want to focus on adding to my skill sets," he affirmed.
Patel shared insights into his recovery phase at the National Cricket Academy (NCA), where he worked on refining his skills.
"I took it positively and tried to improve my game. I was working during my time at the NCA – things like line and length, slower ball, and such variations,” Patel stated.
"I was trying to mix my deliveries up like slower balls, etc. It worked for me in the series against Australia as well, and I have carried that confidence into this series. I am looking at putting more pressure on the batsmen," he added.
(PTI inputs)
