Akshar Patel played a key role with the ball in India’s series-levelling six-wicket victory over Australia in the second T20I at Nagpur on Friday (September 23).
In a rain-curtailed eight-over match, the left-arm spinner bagged two wickets for 13 runs in his quota of two overs. Swashbuckling batters Glenn Maxwell (0) and Tim David (2) were his victims.
"We were waiting in the dressing room for a long time. But even then, we were discussing plans and talking about the game being a small one (in terms of overs), and remaining switched on for the match. When you know it is a shortened game, the batters will be after the bowlers on every ball," Akshar told teammate Yuzvendra Chahal in a video posted by BCCI on their official website.
Patel went on to explain his thought process when the match was reduced to eight overs due to a wet outfield.
"I try to keep things simple and don't think about where the batter would try to hit me. So as a bowler, it was very important for me to be brave and stick to my line and length as well as to my strengths with the ball."
“But in that process if the batter does get a few runs, it is fine and try not to move away from your plans. Even good deliveries go for boundaries, but my plan was to keep it tight, stump to stump, make some changes in field placements and not giving the batter any sort of room, which helped in getting wickets."
Akshar Patel has been impressive in both the games against Australia. In the series opener at Mohali, where the Indian bowling attack was taken to the cleaners, he returned with the figures of 3/17 in his four overs but his stunning spell went in vain as the hosts lost the game by four wickets.
"We spinners keep talking in meeting and do the planning. I think in Mohali, I knew the conditions well, having played for Kings XI Punjab and knew what type of balls would work well. Before I bowled my first ball that day, the fact that we batted first, we were aware of how the pitch behaved, with no real help for the bowlers."
"Our plan was to just bowl wicket-to-wicket given how there was very little on the pitch for the bowlers. As the game progressed, I would see how the batters were trying to get some shots. On seeing that, I would wary my line and length. I did see that they were trying to sweep against me and I bowled the yorker. Luckily, all of this happened as the planning worked," Patel concluded.
With the victory in the second T20I, the Men in Blue kept the three-match series alive at 1-1. The decider will be played at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad on Sunday (September 25).
(With IANS inputs)
