Axar Patel drops an absolute dolly to give Phil Salt a reprieve on 6 in IND vs ENG 2025 2nd ODI

Axar Patel had a moment of brain fade in the second ODI between India and England at the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack on Sunday, February 9. The all-rounder dropped an absolute dolly while fielding at deep point to give England opener Phil Salt a lifeline on six runs. The unfortunate incident took place off the last ball in the sixth over of the tourists’ innings.

The 31-year-old attempted the catch too casually, leaving the commentators, spectators, and teammates surprised. Hardik Pandya, the bowler, showed utter disappointment after that.

It was unexpected since Axar is touted as one of the best fielders for the Men in Blue after Ravindra Jadeja.

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Jadeja eventually caught Salt at mid-on off Varun Chakravarthy. The right-handed batter departed for 26 runs off 29 balls, comprising one six and two boundaries. He shared an 81-run partnership with Ben Duckett for the opening wicket.

Adding salt to the wounds, Shreyas Iyer misjudged Ben Duckett’s catch at deep backward point off Harshit Rana’s bowling in the 12th over. The left-handed batter was batting on 55.

Axar Patel impressed with the bat in the ODI series opener against England

Axar Patel had impressed with the bat in the series opener against England in Nagpur. The left-handed batter scored 52 runs off 47 deliveries, including one maximum and six boundaries. His knock came after the team management promoted him above KL Rahul at No. 5. The Men in Blue won the game by four wickets to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

Besides batting, Axar also bagged one wicket, conceding 38 runs in his seven overs.

Meanwhile, in the ongoing second ODI, England captain Jos Buttler won the toss and elected to bat first. They made three changes to their playing XI after losing the opening game. Mark Wood, Gus Atkinson and Jamie Overton replaced Jofra Archer, Jacob Bethell and Brydon Carse.

At the time of writing, the visitors were 96/1 after 14 overs, with Duckett and Joe Root at the crease.

On the other hand, India made a couple of changes. Yashasvi Jaiswal replaced fit-again Virat Kohli. Meanwhile, Varun Chakravarthy made his ODI debut as the hosts rested Kuldeep Yadav.

Follow the IND vs ENG 2025 2nd ODI live score and updates here.