Axar Patel’s batting blitzkrieg on Sunday, July 25, in the second one-day international at Port of Spain enabled Team India pull off an incredible two-wicket triumph over West Indies. The match took place on Sunday (July 24). Patel, who scored the first half-century of his career in one-day internationals (ODIs), kept his cool in the last overs of the match and led the Men in Blue to a victory that sealed the series triumph in Trinidad and Tobago.
Axar Patel Breaks MS Dhoni’s 17-year-old Record During 2nd ODI Against West Indies
When India was trying to reach 312 runs in 49.4 overs, Axar’s rapid batting performance was the highlight of the game. India ended up losing eight wickets in the process. The left-handed all-rounder concluded the game with a maximum, exactly as former India captain MS Dhoni did, and stayed undefeated on 64 runs after facing only 35 deliveries. He had scored his runs off of just 35 balls. Axar followed in the footsteps of Dhoni by scoring a six with his stroke over long off against Kyle Mayers. Dhoni has ended multiple games for Team India with a six.
Team India pulls off a remarkable victory.
Patel, who has played numerous important knocks in the IPL and in the domestic circuit, displayed his experience and poise to guide his side home in a close match. Team India needed eight runs off the last over, and the equation came down to six runs off three balls.
After walking out to bat at number seven, he smashed five sixes and three boundaries during his turn at the plate. He reached his first one-day international fifty after facing only 27 deliveries.
Axar surpasses MSD
Patel even went on to shatter Dhoni’s record of hitting the most sixes by an Indian batsman at No.7 or below in a successful one-day international chase with his blitz against the West Indies. Dhoni’s record had stood for 17 years.
During their match in 2005, the former India wicketkeeper and batsman had struck three maximums against Zimbabwe. Yusuf Pathan, a former all-rounder for India, also tied Dhoni’s record twice in 2011, but it was Patel, who the Jharkhand player affectionately referred to as “Bapu,” who overtook him. Pathan’s two matches were in 2011.
Axar named player of the match
Patel, who not only had the best all-around performance but also had the most economical bowling numbers (9-1-40-1), was selected as the player of the match for his efforts in all aspects of the game.
The cricketer from Gujarat stated the following while addressing during the post-match presentation: “I believe that this one is one of a kind. It arrived at a key time, which ultimately contributed to the team winning the series. The same thing happened during the Indian Premier League. All that was required of us was to retain our composure and ramp up the pressure. After almost five years, I finally got to play in an ODI. I would love it if I could keep up this level of performance for my squad.”
He did good with the ball as well as the bat! @akshar2026‘s explosive knock single-handedly won India this game!
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— FanCode (@FanCode) July 24, 2022
Once more, India’s team manages to surprise the West Indies.
In the second one-day match, the Indian team was in a bit of a pickle since they had lost three wickets (Shikhar Dhawan 13, Shubman Gill 43, and Suryakumar Yadav 9) within the first 18 overs of the game. The visitors were given a boost when Shreyas Iyer (63 runs off 71 balls) and Sanju Samson (54 runs off 51 balls) put together a partnership of 99 runs. Samson scored his first fifty runs in an ODI with a smash and then proceeded to knock some signature inside-out maximums over the extra cover zone.
At a vital moment, when Samson was bowled out for 54, Deepak Hooda (33) and Patel had an important partnership. Patel, at this time, continued to build alliances with Shardul Thakur and Avesh Khan, all the while keeping the visitors on their toes. He secured the victory for his squad and dashed any hopes that West Indies had of drawing even in the series by completing the game.
Shai Hope scored a spectacular century in his 100th One-Day International for the West Indies, but it was in vain as the visitors established an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series. Nicholas Pooran also scored 74 runs as the West Indies captain.
It was India’s 12th consecutive victory against the Windies in a bilateral one-day international series, the most by any side in the globe.