Axar gets into rebuild mode after injury low

The left-arm spinner, whose haul helped India seal the T20 series, wants to focus on his game and not worry about selection

- Aditya Chaturvedi

"It wasn't like I was particularly fired up today. Not getting picked for the South Africa series wasn't on my mind. It is the selectors' decision and not mine, so I was just focussing on what I had to do in the game."

Axar Patel was his usual cheerful self, addressing the press conference after India's series-clinching win in the fourth T20 International against Australia in Raipur on Saturday.

The left-arm spinner was declared Player-of-the-Match for his outstanding spell of 3/16 in the 20-run win, which gave India an unassailable 3-1 lead.

Be it formal post-match interviews or the more relaxed chats on bcci.tv, the conversations are never too tense if Axar is holding the mic. He has always come across as someone with an easy-going personality, showing great camaraderie with teammates.

Still, speaking in Raipur, it couldn't have been easy for him. A day earlier, the 29-year-old had been left out of India's T20I squad for the upcoming tour of South Africa. This, after he suffered an injury to miss out on the opportunity of competing in a home ODI World Cup.