“He batted as if he had come directly from the nets” - Danish Kaneria on Axar Patel’s game-changing knock in 2nd India vs West Indies ODI

Former Pakistani leg-spinner Danish Kaneria hailed Team India all-rounder Axar Patel's match-winning knock in the second ODI against West Indies in Trinidad on Sunday (July 24). Kaneria stated that the southpaw batted as if he had come to the middle straight from a net session.

Axar notched up his maiden ODI fifty to help the visitors win the second fixture by two wickets and clinch the three-match series with a game in hand. With the Men in Blue chasing 312 for victory, the all-rounder top-scored with a superb 64* off 35 balls.

Even as the equation got tight, he kept his calm and helped India cross the finish line with two balls to spare. Praising Axar's fantastic innings, Kaneria said on his YouTube channel:

“Shreyas Iyer (63) batted superbly, but India were way behind when Axar came into bat. He batted as if he had come directly from the nets. He made it look so easy out in the middle and showed great composure. He played an excellent knock and scored his maiden ODI fifty to lead his team to a fantastic victory.”

The Men in Blue were 205 for five when Sanju Samson was run out for 54. With the game in the balance, Axar added 51 runs for the sixth wicket with Deepak Hooda (33) to keep India in the hunt. The all-rounder featured in another crucial 24-run stand with debutant Avesh Khan (10).

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“Axar Patel is another finisher in the making for India” - Danish Kaneria

Reflecting on Axar’s knock, Kaneria went on to claim that he could be a finisher in the making for India. While discussing the all-rounder’s performance, he commented:

“Axar Patel is another finisher in the making for India. What a gem of an innings, what a gem of a cricketer he is. He batted with great gusto. I must say, I really enjoyed watching him play that knock."

The all-rounder's knock was studded with three fours and five sixes. In fact, he brought up India’s victory with a maximum, launching a full toss from Kyle Mayers over the ropes in the last over.

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