New Delhi, March 6 (IANS) India legend Sunil Gavaskar praised Axar Patel for his outstanding fielding effort against England in the T20 World Cup semifinal, and noted that India previously relied on Ravindra Jadeja for such brilliance in the field, but Axar has stepped up impressively and is filling that role well with his sharp reflexes.

After Sanju Samson led the charge to take India to 253/7, England’s chase looked on course, powered by a breathtaking century from Jacob Bethell. But Axar’s fielding interventions repeatedly halted the visitors’ momentum at crucial moments.

The first moment of magic came early in the innings when Jasprit Bumrah deceived Harry Brook with a slower delivery. The England captain miscued the shot high over the covers, and Axar sprinted back and launched forward in a perfectly timed dive, clutching a spectacular catch just inches above the turf.

Later, when Will Jacks looked set to push England closer to the target, another moment of fielding brilliance unfolded at deep point. Chasing a sliced shot that was drifting away from him, Axar ran hard across the turf and plucked the ball on the move. Losing balance near the boundary rope, he tossed the ball back into play Shivam Dube, who completed the catch to dismiss Jacks.

“Axar Patel’s catch to dismiss Harry Brook was unbelievable. Brook can take the game away and you have to grab every chance to get his wicket and Axar did that. He ran 24 meters away from his fielding spot, kept his eyes on the ball, balanced himself, and took the catch.

“Unbelievable stuff. He also played a key role in Will Jacks’ dismissal. The Bethell-Jacks partnership was taking the game away. But Axar ran to his left, grabbed the ball, and smartly passed it to Shivam Dube,” Gavaskar said on JioHotstar.

Earlier in the match, too, Axar had set the tone by safely pouching Phil Salt at cover when Hardik Pandya struck with the new ball, another sharp piece of fielding that underlined his reliability.

“That shows great cricketing intelligence. At the highest level, temperament separates the greats from the good. With his batting and bowling, Axar is going to be one of India’s great players. We had Ravindra Jadeja before him and Axar is filling that void well. His bowling needs a little more polish. That will come with experience. His line, length, and speed are improving every year. The vice-captaincy means he is thinking about everyone’s game, not just his own. That is great for his growth,” he added.

Jacob Bethell kept his team in the hunt deep into the innings with a blazing century. Despite losing partners at regular intervals, Bethell took the game into the final over. However, he was run out at 105, off just 48 balls, with the help of eight fours and seven sixes.

“With this century in the semi-final of a T20 World Cup against a team like India, Jacob Bethell showed that he belongs at this level. People have spoken very highly of him. We saw him in the Ashes series, coming in and scoring a hundred over there as well. To get a Test hundred in an Ashes series in Australia against Australia is something extraordinary. The Aussies never let you score an easy hundred. That series showed his class.

“Then subsequently here at the Wankhede Stadium, the way he has batted was nothing short of extraordinary. We have seen him in the one-day matches. He has batted extremely well. But he was batting at five or six. Now he has been promoted to number four in T20I cricket. That makes the difference. If a couple of wickets fall early, it allows him to play more overs. And with the range of shots he has, he made batting look so easy. But sadly, despite scoring a hundred, Bethell wasn’t able to help England get over the line,” Gavaskar said.

–IANS

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