‘We were surprised by the pitch’: Axar Patel opens up on Wankhede scare

India vice-captain Axar Patel admitted the team was caught off guard by the nature of the pitch during their T20 World Cup opener against the USA at the usually high-scoring Wankhede Stadium. Despite a dramatic batting collapse, Axar said the dressing room remained confident of putting up a competitive total.

Put in to bat, India slumped to 77 for 6 before skipper Suryakumar Yadav rescued the innings with a sublime 84 not out off 49 balls, guiding the hosts to 161 for 9. The bowlers then backed it up by restricting the USA to 132 for 8, sealing a 29-run victory.

“We plan according to the match situation. Usually, the Mumbai wicket is flat, but it took us around three overs to understand what a good score would be,” Axar told reporters after the match. “The wicket was behaving differently, and we were surprised by that.”

Axar said the team’s confidence helped them stay composed even during the collapse. “The dressing room atmosphere was positive. We knew that if even one batter got going, we could reach 140–150. That belief was always there.”

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However, he admitted there was some pressure, especially given India’s history of early batting collapses in past tournaments. “Obviously, you feel that pressure. But cricket is like this. It’s good that this happened in the first match. If it happens again, we’ll have the experience to push it to 160–170.”

The all-rounder stressed the importance of adapting to conditions without abandoning an attacking mindset. “You have to adjust your style based on the wicket, but we weren’t trying to play defensively. You still need to hit the ball according to how the pitch is behaving.”

Axar revealed that the initial target was around 140, knowing the score could stretch further if someone stayed till the end. “Surya and I spoke about batting deep because we had no batters left. The plan was to hold on for two or three overs and then accelerate.”

Praising the captain, Axar added: “You know what happens when Surya is in form. The way he played last year and continued in the New Zealand series, he knows his game. To do that in a big World Cup match shows his class.”