New Delhi, April 26
Having a conversation with Axar Patel is like talking to one of your best friends instead of the captain of a cricket team, stated Delhi Capitals (DC) opener Jake Fraser-McGurk. Axar has made a bright start to his life as DC skipper, with the side now in second place in the points table, via six out of eight wins.
Fraser-McGurk has been out of DC’s playing eleven after a tough run of form and recalled how talking to Axar gave him some comfort. Axar is just one of those players who leads everyone, and everyone follows him, I guess. He's an amazing talent, and the way he plays just makes everyone really proud to be at Delhi Capitals.”
“He's so calm and relaxed at any point in time. We saw during that Super Over a few games back, he was very relaxed and very calm, like he's done it a thousand times, but I'm not sure how many times he's done it. We love playing under Axar, and we think he's one of the best players in our team that we can follow, and he can be a leader.”
“The conversation was very relaxed. We were having dinner after a game, and he said, You've got so many more opportunities. There are going to be so many more times that you play for this franchise and that you can succeed for us. The good thing is that we're winning well and we're winning in ways that we want to win.”
“So what he says is just keep smiling. He always says to keep smiling at everyone, not just me. He's one of those guys who is so relaxed in all these situations. It feels like you're talking to one of your best friends instead of the captain, and he's been awesome,” said Fraser-McGurk in the pre-match press conference ahead of DC facing Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) on Sunday.
Fraser-McGurk has not come close to replicating his astounding success from last season, amassing just 55 runs in six matches so far, with an average of 9.16 and a strike rate of 105.76. Barring 38 against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in Visakhapatnam, the rest of the scores have been in single digits.
“I'd love to have some more runs next to my name, but that's the way cricket is sometimes. You go through highs and you go through lows, and I think the IPL has seen it in both years for me personally. You saw last year, and now you're seeing this year. But no, I think the most important thing is to stay level through the whole thing, no matter if you're going well or not going so well.”
“Obviously, my role as a batter is to get the team off to a nice start. But it doesn't mean I have to try and hit every ball for six. I'm working really hard through myself and my coaches and everyone around me, so how can I get back into that team and succeed?” he added.
Fraser-McGurk, who’s also been in a lean run with Australia in white-ball cricket and the Big Bash League (BBL), admitted he isn’t the best person to be level-headed in the face of poor batting form. But turning his attention to getting the one percenters right is keeping him in good standing.
“It's pretty obvious, isn't it? It's not great this year, but you can't be too results and outcome-based in this game, otherwise you just won't get anywhere. You've just got to keep trusting the process, backing your strengths and trying to strengthen your weaknesses, and hopefully one day it turns around and then you kick start again.”
“That's the game - it's T20 cricket. It's going to happen. Not everyone is going to go out there and hit 50 off 20 balls every single time. It's just how you find ways to get through those little bad periods and then come out on the other side stronger. It's only been a few years since I've been a part of things like this, and staying level is something that I've not always been good at.”
“It takes a bit of learning to do that, but I think trying to focus on yourself and be as professional as you can in the gym, and doing everything like onepercenter. So when you are or could be selected after getting dropped, you've done everything you can that you're ready for the next chance,” he elaborated.
Asked about the difference between playing under coaches Ricky Ponting and Hemang Badani, Fraser-McGurk felt there isn’t really much to separate the working environment under those two at the helm. “Obviously, Ricky is one of the best to ever do it for Australia. I've worked under Hemang at Dubai Capitals as well, so it's nothing new.”
“He's an awesome coach, and the coaching staff around him, with Matthew Mott, our batting coach, and everyone. The players, I go and speak to them a lot. It's not that much different. Ricky is a wonderful coach and was a wonderful player. I loved playing under him, but Hemang is just the same,” he concluded.