Guyana, Jun 28: After India defeated England in the second semifinal of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup, here spinner Axar Patel in the post match interaction admitted playing shots was not easy on the rain-hit pitch.
Axar stated getting a scalp in the first ball of his spell was not something he planned actually, but was keen to bowl at the right areas.
He added, since the ball kept low, so batters found it hard to play sweep or reverse sweep shots. That did help him a bit as he tried to bowl with a good line and length, and did not try many variations.
He scored 10 runs in 6 balls and claimed 3 wickets giving away 23 runs in his quota of four overs, which was crucial in India's victory.
The tall left-arm spin all-rounder however turned down the notion that England feel additional pressure when they face India.
He humbly stated Jos Buttler's side are a very strong side. But since Indi had posted a good total on the board (171/7 in 20 overs), and they bowled well as per their plan, so England could not chase the target.
Axar Patel has been a star performer in the tournament so far for India, with his valuable contributions with the bat and ball. His fielding has been a revelation too.
His one handed high catch on the boundary line to dismiss Australian skipper Mitchell Marsh in the Super Eight match, off spinner Kuldeep Yadav stunned many including his teammates.
Marsh was batting confidently on 37 off 28 balls, with three boundaries and two towering sixes, when Axar's astonishing catch proved to be a major turning point of the game.
