‘When the team is going through a bad phase…’, Akshar Patel’s bold stance on the captaincy of Delhi Capitals

Delhi Capitals all-rounder Axar Patel has expressed that he would have rejected the offer to become the captain of the team, even if it had been presented to him in the middle of the season. Unfortunately, Delhi Capitals have had a disappointing season, winning only five of their 13 matches, leaving them at the bottom of the table and being knocked out of the playoff race.

“I don’t say anything to anyone in the ongoing series. Even if I had the captaincy, I would not have taken it.” (I don’t say much during mid-season. Even if he had given me the captaincy, I wouldn’t have accepted it.) When your team is having such a bad season, things like this make it worse Are. You need to back your players, your captain and if you change captaincy in the middle of the season, it doesn’t send a good message,” the all-rounder told The Indian Express.

Akshar Patel has taken 246 runs and 9 wickets so far in IPL 2023.

MVP of Delhi. pic.twitter.com/6y3eUdrD0H– Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) May 10, 2023

The David Warner-led side made a disappointing start to the season, losing five matches in a row, leading to suggestions from former cricketers to promote vice-captain Akshar as the captain of the franchise. Since regular captain Rishabh Pant was unavailable, Warner was given the responsibility to lead the team this season. Axar insisted that changing the captaincy midway through the tournament would set a negative precedent for the team.

“Even if I was the captain, things could have remained the same. We failed collectively as a team, and you can’t blame the captain. I never talked about the captaincy, but if I become the captain, If you go, I will not take it.” Responsibility in the middle of the season. I don’t want to spoil the atmosphere in the dressing room.

Akshar Patel has shared details about his preparations for the upcoming World Test Championship (WTC) final. He mentioned that he has been practicing with the Dukes ball following the instructions given by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Axar has been the second-highest run-scorer for the franchise this season, scoring 268 runs and taking 11 wickets in 13 matches at an economy rate of under seven. He revealed the conversation he had with Delhi Capitals head coach Ricky Ponting, which played a key role in boosting his run-scoring abilities.

“I have been working with Ponting for the last five years. In 2020, when the IPL was shifted to Dubai, I approached him and talked to him about my weakness. I don’t face the problem, but the opposite happens.” Short-pitched bowling, I am not able to hit the aerial pull, and to keep it down the ground (the traditional thing I have been taught since childhood) I top-edge it. Ponting said ‘you need to open your shoulder a little bit, and it will help you play more shots. Your off stump will be open, and you will have more space and more time to play your shots. It was a minor change, and I did it in two or three practice sessions.”