'I had zero interest in spin bowling' - Axar Patel opens up on his transition from pacer to spinner

Axar Patel revealed that his Under-16 coach, Sanjay Patel, told him his biomechanics were wrong and that he should switch from being a pacer to a spinner.

The left-arm spinner played a pivotal role in India's T20 World Cup-winning campaign last month. He picked up nine wickets in eight games at an average of 19.22 and a strike rate of 14.66. Axar's economy rate was also a decent 7.86. In the semifinals against England, he starred with figures of 3/23 and was adjudged Player of the Match. Axar also made important contributions with the bat, with the highlight being his 31-ball 47 in the finals against South Africa after being promoted to No. 5.

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In a recent interview, Axar opened up on how he transitioned from being a fast bowler to a spinner after receiving advice from his coach. The 30-year-old revealed that he had no interest in spin-bowling but only took up the craft because he used to get bored while fielding.

"Sometimes I still fail to understand how I became a spin bowler. I was a fast bowler, and in U-16 my coach Sanjay Patel in Kheda said there is something wrong with my biomechanics and suggested I should turn to spin. I had zero interest in spin bowling. I was more interested in batting, but I used to get bored while fielding. So just to get those overs quickly, I started bowling spin and started taking wickets as well," he recalled during an interview witht the Indian Express.

The Anand-born gave credit to former India left-arm spinner Venkatapathy Raju for helping him hone his spin-bowling skills.

"When I went to NCA, Venkatapathy Raju sir was there and he had more confidence in my bowling than I ever had. He is the one who has worked on my bowling and made me understand the nuances of spin bowling," Axar said.

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Axar has been named in India's squads for the upcoming white-ball tour of Sri Lanka. He will hope to build on his excellent work during the T20 World Cup. The Men in Blue are set to play three T20Is and as many ODIs in the Island Nation. The tour begins with the first T20I on Saturday, July 27, at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Pallekele.