Commenting on the vice-captain of India’s T20I team, Indian cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar said that Axar Patel is filling the void left by Ravindra Jadeja very well. Gavaskar’s comments on Axar Patel came after Team India’s thrilling win over England in a high-scoring match at the Wankhede Stadium.
The retirement of experienced spin bowling all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja from the T20 International format is being considered a big blow for the team. Jadeja was excellent not only because of his batting and bowling but also because of his great presence on the field. Last night, when England were chasing a target of 254, Axar Patel took a brilliant catch to dismiss England captain Harry Brook.
Axar Patel took a brilliant catch to dismiss England captain Harry Brook in the semi-finals of T20 World Cup 2026.
Harry Brook could be dangerous on the batting-friendly surface of the Wankhede Cricket Ground, where Sanju Samson scored 89 off 42 for India, and Jacob Bethell of England scored 105 off 48.
Against Jasprit Bumrah’s slower cutter, Brook tried to go over cover but failed to do so as one of his hands missed the grip on the handle of the bat. The ball went high in the air.
Akshar took off running from the point-cover area, covering almost 24 meters of ground to take a diving catch – one of the best catches so far of the entire T20 World Cup 2026. Like many cricket fans and experts, Sunil Gavaskar was equally impressed by the catch.
Gavaskar said on Star Sports, “Axar’s catch to dismiss Brook was incredible. Brook can take away the match and you have to take advantage of every opportunity to take his wicket. It shows great cricket intelligence.”
Sunil Gavaskar observed that Patel’s bowling is improving every year.
But the biggest certificate came from the legend, when he compared Patel with Ravindra Jadeja. The former cricketer observed that Patel is performing very well with bat and ball, and will further improve his bowling skills as he becomes more experienced.
Sunil Gavaskar said, “We had Ravindra Jadeja before him and Axar is filling that gap well. His bowling needs a little more refinement. This will come with experience. His line, length and pace are improving every year.”
Axar Patel’s bowling stats from 2024 to 2026 in T20Is only:
| Year | number of matches | number of wickets | economy rate |
| 2024 | 16 | 20 | 7.08 |
| 2025 | 19 | 17 | 6.93 |
| 2026 | 8 | 12 | 8.57 |
He also believes that with the added responsibility as vice-captain Suryakumar Yadav, Patel is improving his game in a significant way. Gavaskar said that Patel, the vice-captain of the Men in Blue in T20Is, is thinking beyond individual achievements.
Talking about India vs England T20 World Cup 2026 semi-final match, the defending champions scored 256 runs despite the early wicket of Abhishek Sharma. Sanju Samson was the hero of the match on the basis of his innings of 89 runs. England came close to the target thanks to Jacob Bethel’s century. In the end, it was India who defeated England by 7 runs to book a place in the final.
read moreRohit Sharma lost control in Wankhede, started shadow batting during T20 World Cup semi-final.
