'He is like that relative who is wise' - R Ashwin hails ever-reliable Axar Patel

Former Indian cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin showered praise on Indian vice-captain Axar Patel, referring to him as a “senior person who is wise”, an ode to his reliability to do what is needed when he comes in.

Axar played a crucial role in the final of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, with his figures of 3/27 helping bundle New Zealand out for 159, after India got to a mammoth 255/5. His two catches to dismiss Harry Brook and Will Jacks were key in India’s win over England in the semifinal, as India beat the Three Lions by just seven runs after scoring 253.

The former off-spinner appreciated Axar’s reliability and ability to step up under pressure.

"Axar is like that senior person in our relatives who is wise, whom we can always go to. That person is Axar. You will never see him troubled. He is always smiling. He was the vice-captain and out of the team. He came back and you could not see anything. Many times, he does not get to bat or complete his overs. But where he has to come and do his job, he always does it. You can easily say that in T20 cricket, he is your blue-chip stock," Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.

He also praised Ishan Kishan for his resilience after getting dropped from the national team, to go and toil in the domestic circuit, and the selflessness with which he played his game since returning to the national side.

"The story of Ishan Kishan is a story of respect. Respecting small things in life that helped you come back. Domestic cricket. Ishan was not fine mentally and left in between. After that, he was dropped from all the sides. But he learnt to respect domestic cricket and perform as well. The way he won the title for Jharkhand, he did not just break the door, he slammed it and smashed it. After coming to the team, he kept the team front. It was easy for him to say I am back, let me make some scores. That is one attitude you have to like with him," Ashwin further added.

Kishan’s 54 off 25 balls helped set the platform for India’s ascent to 255 on Sunday, March 8.