Team India were made to sweat it out once again by the West Indies as they registered yet another nail-biting finish in the second ODI on Sunday. Axar Patel was the hero of the match as he clobbered a huge six towards long-off to wrap up a 2-wicket win, and thereby helping India take an unassailable 2-0 series lead.
Credit must go to the West Indies for dominating the chase, however, Shreyas Iyer and Sanju Samson’s partnership allowed India a passage back in the contest. The lower-order batsmen also contributed as the match reached the final over, with the Men in Blue needing 8 runs to win.
Axar Patel and Mohammed Siraj were in the middle, with Yuzvendra Chahal waiting in the dugout. In a recent video shared by the BCCI, Siraj opened up about the nail-biting finish, and how Axar’s hitting inspired him as well.
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Incidentally, during the final over, Axar was on strike, and on the second ball, he played the ball towards deep mid-wicket, and the all-rounder wanted two runs, as Siraj would’ve come on strike and being a bowler he certainly would’ve been under pressure given the occasion.
Reactions from the dugout and change room as @akshar2026 sealed the ODI series in style #TeamIndia #WIvIND pic.twitter.com/ZB8B6CMEbP
— BCCI (@BCCI) July 25, 2022
Siraj revealed how the manner in which Axar was talking passionately about crossing the finish line, gave him the motivation he needed. The pacer felt he could have smashed a big hit, but sensibly, he took a single and allowed the all-rounder to finish the job.
“Axar ko dekh ke lag raha tha ki jaise woh baat kar raha tha, jaise woh pumped tha, alag hi feel ho raha tha. Mujhe bhi feel ho raha tha hi mai bhi maar dunga chakka. But sensible yehi tha ki mera single lena,” said Siraj.
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Undoubtedly, he was right in doing so, as Axar smashed a low-full toss delivery out of the park, winning the match for India.
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