3 min readUpdated: Mar 7, 2026 12:33 AM IST
Axar Patel who pulled off two spectacular fielding efforts to hand India the advantage against England in the high voltage semifinal on Thursday, revealed on the night what was going through his head when he lobbed the ball back to Shivam Dube before crossing the boundary ropes that led to Will Jacks’ dismissal.
In the 14th over, Jacks had sliced an Arshdeep Singh delivery towards deep point and Axar scampered to his left to catch the ball before relaying it to Shivam Dube as he crossed the ropes. This broke a very important partnership that England were building, leading to the momentum swiftly shifting in India’s favour.
“It was pretty important to break that partnership. I thought at first that the ball was gone but then I realised that I can reach it. And I think credit has to go to Shivam as well. He didn’t come and collide with me. He was standing there. Main soch raha thha Shivam udhar khada hain, lob kar deta hoon toh woh easily pakad lega (I was thinking Shivam was standing right there so I can just lob the ball and he can easily catch it),” Axar said on Star Sports after the match.
“Shivam udhar khada hai, lob kar deta hu!”
Axar Patel tells Parthiv Patel what he was thinking while taking THAT crucial catch at deep cover alongside Shivam Dube!
ICC Men’s #T20WorldCup 👉 FINAL | #INDvNZ | SUN, 8th MAR, 5:30 PM pic.twitter.com/JUdpFr4RJ8
— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) March 6, 2026
However, Axar revealed that the catch he took of Harry Brooks was his favourite one. After Bumrah deceived Brook with a change of pace, the England skipper miscued his shot. The ball went high in the air and stayed there for 5.4 seconds. Axar had to run towards the ropes, with his head tilted back, eyes trained on the ball before completing a catch with a dive. What made the catch difficult was that the ball fell to the ground over his shoulder while he was running.
“The catch of Brook was one of my most favourite catches because I was running away from the wicket. Taking a catch like that is one of the most difficult things to do. Your vision on the ball is a little shaky. If you look at the replay of the catch, I took a small pause right before taking the catch. That’s how I could catch it (and not overrun the ball). It’s one of my most favourite catches because it was a pressure situation,” Axar told Parthiv Patel on Star Sports.
