As has been tradition in the India cricket team for a little while, Axar Patel was given the ‘fielder of the match’ award after Team India beat Pakistan in the ICC Champions Trophy at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium yesterday (February 23). Usually, India’s fielding coach, T. Dilip, honours the players, but for winning this special match, a special guest was called.
Axar Patel gets ‘Fielder of India vs Pakistan match’ award
It was Mr. ICC Shikhar Dhawan who gave Axar the medal for being involved in three dismissals while fielding. The all-rounder got Team India their second, third, and fourth wickets. He ran Imam-ul-Haq out in the 10th over, then clean bowled Pakistan’s captain Mohammad Rizwan in the 34th over and took the catch of Saud Shakeel, Pakistan’s top scorer, in the 35th over.
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Axar wasn’t done, though. He ran Haris Rauf out in the 49th over and was also on the field when Virat Kohli struck that four through covers to get his 51st ODI century and Team India a second consecutive victory in the ICC Champions Trophy.
Describing how he ran Imam out, Axar said after the match, “I think, when I came on to bowl in the powerplay, he (Imam) took a single through the mid-off where Harshit Rana was fielding. I thought in his plans, I had seen videos of him where he steps out looking for singles. The ball before, I was visualising that he may look for a single, and I can affect a direct hit. I was a few steps behind, but I charged in. The same movement happened, and I was able to make a direct hit. After it happened, I thought it was good that I visualised it a ball before.”
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