‘We don’t see rivalry’: Axar Patel’s cold verdict after India thrash Pakistan

Axar Patel, with skipper Suryakumar Yadav, celebrates the wicket of Pakistan’s Usman Khan. (ANI Photo)

NEW DELHI: India’s commanding 61-run demolition of Pakistan in the T20 World Cup in Colombo was as much about mindset as it was about skill, and vice-captain Axar Patel made that clear with a statement that reflected the team’s ruthless clarity. Despite the historic rivalry and hype, Axar insisted India approached the contest with calm detachment and focus.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!“See, we are seeing them as a team. So we are not thinking about these rivalry or whatever. So we are playing against one team, and we are just focusing on cricket,” Axar said after the win. He added, “I treat it as one match against an opponent. So I’m not thinking about any rivalry or whatever.”

The result extended India’s World Cup dominance over Pakistan to 8-1 and sealed their Super 8 qualification with a third successive win. The foundation was laid by a sensational 77 off 40 balls from Ishan Kishan on a difficult surface. Axar was full of praise, saying, “The way he batted was sensational. It is one of the great knocks as it wasn’t easy. The ball was spinning and some were going straight under the lights. It was a challenge.” He added that Kishan’s form and confidence made the difference, noting, “There’s a lot of confidence and obviously he has got skill too. He has not hit all his shots in one place as he can score all around the ground.”India posted 175/7 after contributions from captain Suryakumar Yadav, Shivam Dube and Rinku Singh. Axar explained that India’s selection of three spinners was a calculated move. “We feel that selection should be according to the pitch. And when you get help from the pitch, you will go for it… we made the team combination according to that,” he said.The bowlers then dismantled Pakistan for 114, with Axar, Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah and Varun Chakaravarthy sharing the wickets, while Usman Khan’s 44 was the lone resistance.Axar said the team’s success came from trusting their own process rather than external comparisons. “Whatever captain says we are focusing on our strength… We are just thinking about our plan and our execution,” he said. “We are taking one match at a time… today was the Pakistan team, so we are focusing on them.”