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TimesofIndia.com in Mumbai: Will Jacks c Dube b Arshdeep Singh. This is how the dismissal of Will Jacks will be registered in the record books. But what unfolded was far more dramatic. It was a piece of athletic brilliance and awareness that turned the catch into a highlight-reel moment.
Not often do you pull off a blinder to give your side a much-needed breakthrough and yet have no mention of it on the scoreboard. Despite the hard strides, the scorecard will always mention Shivam Dube, but Axar Patel’s catch that never was will probably go down as one of the most iconic fielding efforts in Indian cricket history.
He took quick strides to his left, both hands stretched out, almost tripping but maintaining control, and then produced a neat relay for Shivam Dube to complete the formalities in the deep. Then came the celebratory grunt as the two players hugged each other and the entire team dashed towards Axar for the second time that evening.
The fifth-wicket partnership of 77 off 39 balls between Jacob Bethell and Will Jacks was beginning to look threatening.
However, it wasn’t the first time Axar produced something spectacular during England’s run chase. Earlier, he turned from inside the circle and sprinted at full tilt to get under Harry Brook’s miscued hit over covers. Even after covering plenty of distance, it seemed the ball had escaped him, but he stretched fully in a dive and managed to hold on to a stunning catch.
For Axar, who felt the ball kept following him in the field as another opportunity came his way in Hardik Pandya’s final over, both catches carried different significance. While the Jacks catch mattered more in the context of the game, Brook’s was the more difficult of the two.
“Both of them are different. When I caught Harry Brook, I think it was a very good catch for me. I think it was tough. But if you look at the situation and the way the batters were batting, that catch of Will Jacks was very important to break the partnership at that time. So it’s very tough for me if you ask me. But fielding-wise, I think the catch of Harry Brook was tougher. I thought the ball was behind me today,” said Axar in a media interaction following India’s seven-run win over England.
In a high-scoring humdinger, these fielding efforts made the biggest difference. England paid for their early reprieve to Sanju Samson, while India held on to their chances. In a game where 499 runs were scored and the result was a seven-run win, the scorecard will mention Axar only once. But the entire country will remember his twin efforts that helped the Men in Blue win the battle of small margins and set up a date with New Zealand in the title clash on Sunday.
It will also be another homecoming for local boy Axar. After missing two matches against the Netherlands in the group stage and South Africa in the Super 8, the all-rounder from Nadiad is pumped up and eager to play in front of his home crowd.
Destiny had been cruel before the 2023 World Cup. He missed the tournament due to injury and did not feature in the two matches played in Ahmedabad, the high-octane clash against Pakistan and the November 19 final against Australia at the Narendra Modi Stadium. He has waited over two years to play for India at home, having also missed the opportunity during the bilateral T20Is against South Africa due to illness.
“Ho sakta hai isi liye wo do matches nahi khela houga (laughs) [Maybe I didn’t play those matches for this, the World Cup final]. It is very important for me. I have been waiting for so many years. It is a very proud moment to play a match in front of your family on your home ground. I think after two years I will be playing on my home ground. And that too, the final of the ICC T20 World Cup. My son will also watch the match live from the stands. And that’s what I am very proud of,” said Axar.
Ahmedabad and the World Cup final do not bring pleasant memories, as fans still carry the scars of the heartbreak from November 19, 2023. March 8 now offers the city a chance to write a new chapter, and the local hero is determined to erase the memories of that night which broke over a billion hearts.
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“Home ground ka player nahi tha na tab… (home ground’s player didn’t play that match [laughs]),” was Axar’s crisp response when asked about India, Ahmedabad and the World Cup final.
In two sleeps, he gets the opportunity to change the narrative around the venue, in front of his people and on his ground.
