‘Team India will benefit…’: Gavaskar wants Warner removed, names new DC captain | Cricket

Axar Patel was in good form as Delhi Capitals registered their second straight win of IPL 2023, defeating Sunrisers Hyderabad by seven runs in Match 34, at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on Monday. Chasing a target of 145 runs, SRH reached 137/6 in 20 overs, despite a knock of 49 runs off 39 balls. Meanwhile, Axar and Anrich Nortje were in good bowling form for DC and bagged two wickets.

Initially, DC reached 144/9 in 20 overs, with Manish Pandey smacking 34 runs off 27 balls. Meanwhile, Axar was also in good batting form and registered 34 runs off 34 deliveries, slamming four fours. For SRH’s bowling department, Washington Sundar took three wickets and Bhuvneshwar Kumar scalped two dismissals.

For his all-round display, Axar was also adjudged as Player of the Match. After the match, the India star also received plenty of praise from legend Sunil Gavaskar, who also backed him to captain Delhi and replace David Warner. Speaking on Star Sports Cricket Live, Gavaskar said, “I believe Axar Patel should be appointed the captain of Delhi Capitals. He is an honest player. He’s in a good rhythm. The Indian team can benefit from him being named the captain of the franchise and performing well. All these things should be done in a long run.”

Axar is also Delhi’s second highest wicket-taker this season with six wickets in seven matches. He is also his side’s second highest run-scorer with 182 runs in seven fixtures. Speaking after the match, Axar also pointed out that his bowling display gave him more joy than his batting. He said, “2/21 since I scored 34 in 34 so the two wickets were more important. I ordered for coffee and I left the glass like that, when three wickets fell in one over. Pandey and I discussed we need to take it as deep as possible.”

After the win, DC are still bottom of the table with four points in seven games, packed with two wins and five defeats. For their upcoming match, Delhi face Sunrisers Hyderabad in Match 40, at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi.