Team India all-rounder Axar Patel has broken the silence on Mohammad Rizwan’s dismissal during the recent ICC Champions Trophy 2025 clash against Pakistan. Axar Patel revealed that his teammate Hardik Pandya was furious after a dropped catch off his bowling just before Mohammad Rizwan’s wicket.
Axar dismissed Rizwan for 46 runs in Dubai on Sunday, February 23. Rizwan misjudged a flighted delivery from the left-arm spinner and completely missed the ball while stepping down the track to play across the line. Before that, Rizwan was given a lifeline with a dropped catch off Pandya’s bowling.
Mohammad Rizwan Survived After Dropped Catch Off Hardik Pandya’s Bowling
Mohammad Rizwan walked in to bat during the final over of the first powerplay and initially struggled to find his rhythm. He, along with Saud Shakeel, carefully played against India’s spinners before attempting to accelerate.
The pressure mounted as the right-handed batter faced close to 80 deliveries. India needed a breakthrough after Pakistan reached 150 runs, and Rizwan survived a chance in the 33rd over when Harshit Rana dropped his catch. Axar Patel dismissed him in the very next over.
When I Saw Him, Hardik Was Really Angry – Axar Patel
Axar Patel revealed that there was a clear plan in place before he dismissed Mohammad Rizwan. He stated that Hardik Pandya was furious after a dropped catch off his bowling just a ball earlier.
“Obviously, a plan was in place. Just a ball before, a catch was dropped off Hardik’s bowling. And when I saw him, Hardik was really angry. When I came onto bowl, I didn’t think that he would charge at me the very first ball, so I bowled it real slow.”
“He must have thought that on that pitch I will hit the length instead of flighting it up, but I bowled it slow because they were looking to rotate the strike. So, I think I am very lucky that I was involved in both breakthroughs,” Axar Patel said (via ICC’s official Instagram account).
It Takes Some Time to Get Back to Full Tilt – Axar Patel on Kuldeep Yadav
Axar Patel said that Kuldeep Yadav needs time to regain full rhythm after an injury. He noted that Kuldeep had been sidelined for nearly 3-4 months and was working hard in practice to regain his form. Patel said Kuldeep wasn’t at his best until the 40th over, but after that, he found his rhythm.
“When you return from an injury, it takes some time to get back to full tilt. You find the rhythm only after playing matches. I think he was out for close to 3-4 months, then he played a couple of matches. He was trying hard in practice to find rhythm like before,” Axar said in the same interview.
“Today you could see that he was not at his best until the 40th over. But all teammates went up and spoke to him, and kept backing him by telling him that you will do it for us. Then you saw how he bowled after the 40th over. He got his rhythm back, he was bowling it slower in the air, was also bowling his natural variations, and looked confident too,” he added.
Also read: Virat Kohli shockingly admits ‘Cover Drive’ as his weakness after 100 vs Pakistan