All rounder Axar Patel breaks 17-year-old record of Dhoni, after he hit a quickfire 64 not out off 35 balls to help his team defeat West Indies by two wickets in the second One-Day International on Sunday at the Queen’s Park Oval in Trinidad (July 24). With the third ODI left to play, Axar’s fifty enabled Shikhar Dhawan’s team win the three-match series 2-0.
Axar Patel breaks 17-year-old record of Dhoni in IND vs WI 2nd ODI
The Delhi Capitals all-rounder hit five sixes during his game-winning innings, including one off Kyle Mayers in the penultimate over to end the game. The dramatic 312-chase saw Axar hit five sixes, which is a record for an Indian hitter batting at No. 7 or lower in a successful ODI chase. MS Dhoni, the current captain of the Chennai Super Kings and a former captain of India, blasted three sixes during India’s 2005 chase against Zimbabwe. Yusuf Pathan, a former all-rounder for India, has twice in his career—both against South Africa and Ireland—matched Dhoni’s accomplishment.
“This one, in my opinion, is unique. It was timely and contributed to the team’s series victory. In the IPL, we did the same thing. All we had to do was maintain our composure and intensity. I had not played an ODI in almost five years. I want to keep giving my team this kind of performance “At the post-game presentation, Axar, who received the man of the match award, said this.
“I set my goal for 10 to 11 and over before I went out. Due to our IPL experience, we believed it was possible. All we had to do was maintain our composure and intensity. I haven’t played an ODI (series) in almost five years. For my team, I would like to keep contributing in this manner.”
Shai Hope scored 115 in his 100th ODI for the hosts, and skipper Nicholas Pooran added 74, but it was ultimately insufficient. For India, Shreyas Iyer and Sanju Samson also reached half-centuries, but the day belonged to Patel, who used his left-arm spin to take a wicket.
In the absence of usual skipper Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan is captaining a depleted India team. He claimed that the IPL experience had prepared them for such high-scoring chases. “We stay prepared with our domestic and IPL cricket… He has performed that numerous times in IPL, as Axar stated.”