Axar Patel: “I Was Doing the Maths for Kohli’s Century”
As Virat Kohli inched closer to his century against Pakistan, India's Axar Patel found himself turning into a human calculator, silently crunching numbers and hoping he wouldn’t misplay a shot that could deny the star batter his milestone.
Dubai: As Virat Kohli inched closer to his century against Pakistan, India’s Axar Patel found himself turning into a human calculator, silently crunching numbers and hoping he wouldn’t misplay a shot that could deny the star batter his milestone.
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Axar’s Calculations for Kohli’s Ton
Walking in to bat with India needing 19 runs and Kohli unbeaten on 86, Axar admitted he was mindful of Kohli’s century.
“At the end, actually main bhi thoda maths kar raha tha unke hundred ke liye (Even I was doing the math for his hundred towards the end). I was hoping that I don’t edge the ball or something. So, it was quite fun,” Axar said in a video posted by ICC.
Tense Moments Before the Century
However, Pakistan’s Shaheen Afridi bowled three wides in the 42nd over, making Kohli’s path to a hundred slightly uncertain. At one point, Axar even faced boos from fans for taking a single, as they wanted Kohli to retain the strike.
With Kohli stuck on 96 and India needing just two runs to win, skipper Rohit Sharma playfully signaled for him to finish the match with a six. Instead, Kohli stylishly drove the ball to the boundary, securing his century in style.
A High-Pressure Game Experience
Axar, reflecting on the match, said, “It was the first time I got to watch a high-pressure game from the dressing room where Virat bhaiya scored a century. I had a lot of fun, and the way he was running between the wickets after fielding for 50 overs is a testament to his fitness.”
India March Towards Semifinals
With dominant victories over Bangladesh and Pakistan, India are now on the brink of securing a spot in the Champions Trophy semifinals.
