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Tag: Ricky Ponting influence

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How Ricky Ponting helped Axar Patel become a better batsman

India were in strife in the Mirpur Test last December in Bangladesh when Axar Patel walked out at No.4 with 15 overs left in the day. The left-handed batsman wasn’t seen as a nightwatchman by captain KL Rahul and coach Rahul Dravid. He didn’t play like one either, confidently punching off the back foot against the spinners while making 34 runs, a knock which changed the complexion of the game. Ravichandran Ashwin would finish off with a match-winning unbeaten 49, but it was Axar who started the turnaround. Before he went out to bat, those in the know say, Axar told the captain and the coach that he will play his shots as and when the chance presents itself. He had fallen for 4 in the first innings, caught at the boundary, but he wanted to press on in a similar fashion in the second. Moh...