Axar Patel on India reaching T20 final with 68-run England win

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Axar Patel on India reaching T20 final with 68-run England win  28/06/2024  icc24  Guyana National Stadium, Providence

Transcript

00:00Shut the door.

00:03Are we ready?

00:16Live.

00:30We are now ready with India's post-match press conference.

00:33Akshay Patel to address it for India.

00:35First question.

00:37Akshay bhai, congratulations on the win.

00:39Thank you.

00:40What was the target of 170 on this pitch?

00:44There is obviously pressure in powerplay.

00:46What was your game plan?

00:52I think we could have easily defended 170.

00:56It was a very power score.

00:57The way the wicket was behaving.

00:59When we spoke to Rohit bhai after the batting,

01:01he said that it is very difficult to hit a big shot.

01:04Because the odd ball is spinning and it is skating on.

01:08So we thought that 150-160 is a very good score.

01:12We can defend it.

01:14When we made 170, we knew that we made 10-15 runs more.

01:20The plan was the same.

01:22Obviously, it is difficult in powerplay.

01:26But when you know that you are getting help from the wicket,

01:29you don't have to think too much.

01:32You don't have to over-exaggerate.

01:34I thought that the more I keep it simple,

01:36the easier it will be for me.

01:38Because in the dressing room,

01:40it was said that it is not an easy wicket.

01:42After that, when the batsman came,

01:44I knew that he will charge something else.

01:47It is not so easy for me to hit in front.

01:49And I couldn't hit from the back foot

01:51because the ball wasn't coming that much.

01:53So my plan was to make it difficult for them as much as possible.

01:57I forced them to think that they should play a new shot.

02:01So that happened on the first ball.

02:04So that was our plan.

02:11When you went to bat,

02:13you must have felt how the pitch was being played.

02:16And does the English team,

02:18the English team,

02:20and most of the Indian spinners,

02:22get worried about their batsmen?

02:24Yes.

02:25I can't say that they get more worried.

02:28Obviously, both have the same pitch.

02:34I don't think they get worried.

02:37Obviously, it is a matter of pressure at that time.

02:39And when you have scored a goal,

02:41and when you are chasing,

02:43you know that the wicket is helping the bowler in that pressure.

02:47As a bowler, as an opener,

02:49when you play in the top four,

02:51you think that you will take advantage of the power play as much as possible.

02:55So I think that's what they think,

02:57that they went to take advantage of the power play.

02:59But they didn't succeed, obviously.

03:01But I don't think they feel more pressure than the Indians.

03:07And when I went to bat,

03:09obviously I knew that when the fast bowlers were bowling,

03:12everyone was bowling slower than me.

03:14Even though they were bowling slower,

03:16I wasn't able to hit the ball.

03:18And the ball wasn't coming at the speed I wanted,

03:21so I wasn't able to connect properly.

03:24Obviously, that also gave me a clue

03:26as to what I could do and what I couldn't do.

03:28The more you bowl, the easier it gets.

03:30The length balls they bowled,

03:32it was all getting easier.

03:34So it was very easy to bowl at a good area.

03:36After bowling at a good area,

03:38I feel that no one has hit me on the length ball,

03:42no matter how good the ball is.

03:44So it was very important to bowl at a good length and line.

03:46So that's what I felt.

03:48And when it came to power play, that's what I did.

03:52Akshar, you got your first ball of every over.

03:58Tell us about that.

04:00And is there a better option in the pitch,

04:02sweep and reverse sweep?

04:04Is it difficult to hit a big shot?

04:06I didn't plan to get a wicket on the first ball.

04:10My mindset was to bowl at a good area.

04:14Obviously, when you play knockouts,

04:16your mindset is that

04:18you should bowl a good finish

04:20on the first and last ball of the over.

04:22So that was in my mind.

04:24Obviously, every time I got a good wicket,

04:26that was a plus point.

04:28I feel that it was difficult to hit a big shot

04:30and it was difficult to hit a sweep and reverse sweep

04:32because I didn't know how to hit a sweep and reverse sweep.

04:34I didn't know how to hit a sweep and reverse sweep.

04:36I didn't know how to hit a sweep and reverse sweep

04:38and it was difficult to hit a sweep and reverse sweep

04:40because there was a ball at the bottom of the wicket

04:42and it was difficult to connect it easily.

04:44Every ball was a sweep and reverse sweep.

04:46Even the batsmen have a doubt

04:48that if I go to hit a sweep and the ball is at the bottom,

04:50can I hit it on the pad?

04:52It depends on what line length you put.

04:54Mostly, our spinners kept it stump to stump.

04:56That's why it was very difficult to hit a sweep and reverse sweep

04:58on this wicket.

05:00And to hit it in front,

05:02you have to hit it in front as much as possible.

05:04But as much as we saw the videos,

05:06do not do so.

05:08do not do so.

05:10They have to start proceeding himself.

05:12They have to proceed himself.

05:14All the batsmen return it in the same way.

05:16All the batsmen return it in the same way.

05:18All the batsmen return it in the same way.

05:20All all the batsman returns it in the same way.

05:22A lot of swing.

05:24When they swing that way,

05:26They try even at places to hit it lightly.

05:28They try even at places to hit it lightly.

05:30Best of all,

05:32Naveen doesn't struggle.

05:34are trying to hunt-in?

05:36See, obviously, communication is very important in big matches.

05:41And I think all the matches we have played, we have thought that this is a big match for us.

05:47And we were playing with this kind of mindset.

05:49And we are trying to communicate as much as possible when someone scores the first or second over.

05:53So, communication becomes very easy.

05:56He knows what is happening in the wicket and what is not.

05:58So, obviously, I keep talking to Jaddu Bhai and Kuldeep that when I score the first over,

06:04what is happening in the wicket and what is not.

06:06I think the fast ball is stopping a little bit.

06:08So, when Jaddu Bhai scored the first over, after that, when there was a 10-over break,

06:15I told him that our line length here is stopping a little bit.

06:20So, it is easy for them to cut.

06:22So, you can go a little higher.

06:24And you can vary the pace as well.

06:27It is not that easy in this wicket.

06:29So, I think after that, they scored a good ball as well.

06:32So, yes, communication is very important.

06:35And we keep doing that in between the overs and whenever we get time.

06:54And now, a great spell. How does it feel on that, you know, contributing to this win?

07:24If the team doesn't do well, then it doesn't matter.

07:27So, I think, feeling good.

07:29We are close to the one step and close to the trophy.

07:33So, yes, feeling good.

07:40Thank you very much, Akshay, for joining us. Thank you.

07:54It's time. So, when we combine.

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