Axar Patel turns is being considered as the threat in Vijay Hazare final, by the opponents. 

Both Delhi and Gujarat’s run in terms of victories are very similar. Both the teams won seven out of eight matches in the league and knockout stages combined, but both are very different when their performance and strengths are counted.

Delhi experienced the victory, on the back of all-round strength in the league stages and the stinging bowling attack, led by Ishant Sharma, in the knockouts. The youngsters came to the party, after their star players stayed away.

Unmukt Chand (308) and Nitish Rana have contributed the maximum with the bat and  Subodh Bhati (16 wickets) and Navdeep Saini (13 wickets) have done well with the ball.

If even Pawan Negi’s all round effort (113 runs, 14 wickets) was also taken into consideration, the team has nothing to do much with the star players like Shikhar Dhawan, Ishant and skipper Gautam Gambhir, who could not do well with the bat, but boosted his team together with his leadership qualities.      

However, Parthiv Patel and his men effort cannot be ignored. Every member has contributed to the team's run to the final, but the blazing form of left-arm tweaker Axar Patel has reduced the rest to the supporting role.

Axar has been Parthiv's go-to man, with both bat and ball. With 214 runs, he is their second highest run-getter, and his 19 wickets, which have come at an economy rate of 3.10, has put him on top of the bowlers list of the tournament.

Axar was introduced by Parthiv, in the 17th over of the semifinals against Tamil Nadu, who until then had the match in their grasp. Axar's devastating 6-43 swung the match in Gujarat's favour as Tamilnadu's chase of 249 came a cropper.

Chinnaswamy stadium is witnessing today, that, how the deep Delhi batting line-up is  countering Axar.  

By Phani Ch