The catch was game-changing as it shifted the momentum towards India and put Australia on the backfoot.
The Indian team registered an emphatic win last month when they ended a 13-year jinx to win the T20 World Cup 2024 trophy after outclassing South Africa in the summit clash.
In the process, Rohit Sharma and Co scripted history by becoming the only team to remain unbeaten throughout the tournament.
India started off the group-stage with dominant performances and then extended the momentum into the Super 8s and knockout stages.
During a Super 8s clash, India locked horns with heavyweights Australia.
Although India looked like the better team on paper, there was a certain sense of fear since they had been overpowered by Australia twice in the last year in the final of an ICC event.
The Men in Blue had succumbed to the Aussies during last year’s World Test Championship (WTC) Final and then once again during the ODI World Cup Final.
This time around, though it wasn’t the Final clash, it was still a tricky fixture to win.
India did manage to come out on top in the end due to complete performance but it was a catch of Axar Patel that made all the difference.
The dynamic all-rounder pulled off a jaw-dropping single-handed catch near the boundary ropes of Aussie skipper Mitchell Marsh during the ninth over of the chase which shifted the momentum towards India and sent the opposition to the backfoot.
𝐀𝐗𝐀𝐑, 𝘮𝘶𝘫𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘨 𝙎𝙪𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙢𝙖𝙣 𝘬𝘦𝘩𝘵𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘪𝘯 💥
An incredible catch by #AxarPatel to dismiss the Aussie skipper and #KuldeepYadav provides a much-needed breakthrough in the #𝐒𝐮𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐑𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐫𝐲 💪🏽
𝐒𝐔𝐏𝐄𝐑 𝟖 👉 #AUSvIND | LIVE NOW |… pic.twitter.com/OOC5OkCymx
— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) June 24, 2024
Speaking to Cricbuzz, Axar opened up on his heroic effort and said, “I’m not saying it’s all my effort. There was definitely a touch of luck involved too. Of course, we practise such catches regularly but it’s not guaranteed that every catch you practise in the nets will stick in a match.”
He added, “I was positioned inside the boundary line because Mitchell Marsh was trying to sweep the ball. I anticipated a possible top edge, so I adjusted my position a few steps inside so that I could run and take the edge.”
For more updates, follow CricXtasy on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Telegram and YouTube
