Vijay Hazare Trophy: Axar Patel scores maiden List A century
What's the story
Star Indian all-rounder Axar Patel has brought up his first-ever List A century during the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy. The left-handed batsman achieved this milestone while playing for Gujarat against Andhra at the Alur Cricket Stadium III in Bengaluru on Saturday. He reached the three-figure mark off 98 balls, giving a hard time to the Andhra bowlers.
Knock
A fine hand from Axar
Gujarat were reeling at 29/3 when Axar arrived to bat. He steadied the ship with a 51-run stand with Jaymeet Patel. The former continued the good work, having further added 142 runs with Vishal Jayswal for the sixth wicket. Axar, who was watchful early on, eventually shifted gears before falling to left-arm spinner Midde Anjaneyulu. He made 130 off just 111 balls, having smashed 10 fours and five sixes. His brilliance meant Gujarat finished at a strong 318/9.
Career
Here are his List A numbers
Before this knock, Axar had 12 half-centuries in his List A career. His previous best was an unbeaten 98. The current match is Axar's first for Gujarat in this season's 50-over tournament. Overall, he has played 171 List A matches, including 71 ODIs for India. He has now raced to 2,881 runs in the format, averaging around 30. His strike rate is over 94. With his left-arm spin, Axar has claimed 203 List A wickets at an economy of 4.30.