Axar Patel has quickly established himself as a valuable all-rounder for India, especially in T20I formats where he has been sent as high up as No.3 in recent times.

In a recent interview with TOI, Axar opened up on the role former India skipper MS Dhoni played in getting him to change his attitude towards batting.

“I started as a batter but became a full-time spinner when I reached the NCA. In my early days I didn’t do well with the bat and started doubting myself,” Axar said.

“When I got dropped in 2018, I worked very hard on my batting. When MS Dhoni was mentor of the 2021 T20 World Cup team, he told me that in my earlier days, under his captaincy, I put pressure on myself by thinking I had to perform all the time, rather than simply believing that I was a capable batter. Slowly I started implementing what Mahi bhai had told me and I regained my confidence.”

Axar’s reliability as a batter was on full display in T20 World Cup 2024 final against South Africa at Barbados. The Men in Blue were reeling at 34/3 inside the powerplay before the left-hander stitched a crucial 72-run stand with Virat Kohli to not only steady the ship but propel India to a highly competitive 176/7 in 20 overs.

India eventually won the T20 World Cup final by seven runs, and Axar’s 31-ball 47 had a significant role in it.

“After the T20 WC final, I never thought I would be dropped again,” said Axar.

India’s current tactic of having a flexible batting order has seen Axar Patel playing in a variety of positions. However, he has been trusted to play in and around the top-order more often than not.

“If I’ve been sent up the order, that means the team trusts me and I have the talent to perform this role. When I go out to bat, I don’t think I am a floater. The team management tells me that I’m not sent to blindly accelerate the scoring or play out a difficult spell or target a particular spinner. I am given a role like any other specialist batter,” he remarked.