Axar's captaincy for Delhi Capitals, a pleasant surprise

When the Delhi Capitals announced Axar Patel as captain, the discourse around the decision had a hesitant feel to it.

- Samreen Razzaqui

NEW DELHI: You have KL Rahul and Faf du Plessis in the squad and the franchise, still chasing their first IPL title, decided to appoint a new captain. It was a gamble but the 31-year-old has turned out to be a surprise package.

After eight matches, DC are atop the points table alongside Gujarat Titans with eight wins and 12 points. And while their batting and bowling departments seem to be aligning, what also seems to be ticking for them is Axar's cool and calm captaincy. He's the opposite of overbearing. Neither loud, nor theatrical and seems to have the confidence of his team-mates. His chilled-out persona is making his bowlers feel less burdened and batters less tense and perhaps, that's what a team hoping to right some wrongs required.

"He doesn't complicate things," his teammate Mohit Sharma said in a media interaction. "He keeps it light even if things aren't going our way. He says, 'What's happened has happened, what's going to happen will happen — but we can control the controllables.'"

Man-management