India’s Axar Patel and Hardik Pandya during a practice session ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 final cricket match between India and New Zealand, in Dubai.
(AP)
Axar Patel has lauded Hardik Pandya’s confidence after India’s Champions Trophy triumph in Dubai on Sunday. India registered a four-wicket victory over New Zealand in the Champions Trophy final at the Dubai International Stadium.
“Jab hum sabki fatt jati hain, tab Hardik Pandya sabse jyada confident hota hain (When we’re all under pressure, Hardik Pandya is the most confident guy),” Axar told Star Sports.
Axar Patel also lauded the coach Gautam Gambhir and captain Rohit Sharma for their decision making throughout the tournament.
“I believe that the decision taken by the captain (Rohit Sharma) and the coach (Gautam Gambhir) was made after a lot of thought, and today, when the results are in, it is truly a cause for celebration,” he said.
“Aur kaptani ki baat kare to obviously unko pata hai ke kis player ko kahan pe use krna hai aur wo hi ek ache kaptaan ki khaasiyat hoti hai. Haat me trophy hai usse zyada kaptaani ki kya tareef kare. 2 baar ICC me lagatar champion bana diya hai (And when it comes to captaincy, he (Rohit) knows exactly where to use each player – that is the hallmark of a great captain. With the trophy in hand, what more can one say about his captaincy? He has led the team to become ICC champions consecutively),” he added.
Axar has also explained the reason why India picked five spinners for the Champions Trophy.
“When we were coming to the tournament, everyone felt that we had too many spinners, and there was even talk that we had 4-5 spinners, why do we need so many spinners.
“But today, when you look at the results, and even after the first two matches, everyone must have realized how important that decision was.”