In a thrilling moment during India’s match against Pakistan, as Virat Kohli neared his century, Axar Patel found himself caught up in the math of the game. With India needing 19 runs to win and Kohli unbeaten on 86, Axar was focused on not edging the ball at the other end to ensure the star batsman could reach his century.
“I was doing the math for his hundred towards the end. I was hoping I wouldn’t edge the ball or something. It was quite fun,” said Axar in a video shared by the ICC. However, his task became trickier when Pakistan’s Shaheen Afridi bowled three wides in the 42nd over, making Kohli’s path to the century even more complicated.
At one point, Axar received boos from the crowd for taking a single, as the fans were eager for Kohli to face as many deliveries as possible.
As India needed just two runs to win with Kohli stranded on 96, skipper Rohit Sharma cheekily gestured for him to finish the game with a six. Kohli, however, opted for a stylish drive to the boundary, bringing up his century with elegance.
“It was the first time I got to watch a high-pressure game from the dressing room where Virat bhaiya scored a century. I had a lot of fun, and the way he was running between the wickets after fielding for 50 overs is a testament to his fitness,” Axar added.
With dominant wins over Bangladesh and Pakistan, India are now all but through to the Champions Trophy semifinals.
