IND vs ENG: Cricket-Loving Dad Preferred Cricket To Academics For Axar Patel

Left-arm spinner Axar Patel's father was a rare parent in Nadiad town of Gujarat who let his son opt for cricket despite him being a bright student and a rank holder in school. Among the parents o

At the intra-district level at under-14 level, Axar did well to win Man of the Series, Best Batsman, and Best Bowler (as left-arm pacer) awards and it was only for fun that he started bowling left-arm spin.

"Initially, he was a left-arm pace bowler at the junior level. Often when his team would be winning matches, he would turn to bowl left-arm spin just for fun. He was lean, tall for his age, and had long strides too. He started getting wickets because of his accuracy. The switch happened as he graduated," recalled Patel.

Accuracy and bowling at good speed was something Axar relied on at the MA Chidambaram Stadium pitch in Chennai.

"I try to bowl in the right places and the wicket takes care of the rest...If you are leaving it in the air and bowling slowly, then you are not getting any help from the pitch. So, you have to hit the pitch hard," said Axar after the third day's play on Monday.

Over a decade ago, when Axar was 17-18, he attended a 21-day camp at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru. For coach Patel, it was a big thing. Whenever any of his wards went to even a state-level camp, he would ask them to note down every instruction, from the coaches there, in a diary.

"Whenever a player from my district goes even to the state [camp], I always tell him to keep a small diary and note down what the coaches' instructions on various subjects - what they do at the nets or at practice, physical exercises etc. It doesn't just help the boy learn but also helps us. There are so many things at this level we aren't aware of. It helps us learn and impart those to the wards," he added.