Picture Credit: IPL/BCCI
Delhi Capitals' Axar Patel is one of the quality all-rounders in the 15th edition of the Indian Premier League. His recent blazing 22 off 14 against Kolkata Knight Riders helped the side to go past 200 run mark and post a mammoth total on board. Patel built a crucial partnership with Shardul Thakur towards the end to score 215/5.
While Axar has been a vital cog for his franchise and has been contributing to the team's success, he recently revealed an interesting story behind the spelling of his name. The 28-year-old all-rounder recently appeared on the show "Breakfast with Champions" hosted by Gaurav Kapoor and in conversation, the all-rounder shared how his school principal changed the spelling of his name from Akshar to Axar. There has been long-standing confusion about the correct spelling of his name, but as per Patel, it got changed by his school principal when he went to him for his school leaving certificate.
Patel informed that there was a camp in Bangalore before the U-19 World Cup, and he needed a passport as the ICC tournament was happening in Australia. "I did not have a passport, so I required a license and school certificate. I went to my school to get the leaving certificate; my principal wrote Axar as the spelling of my name," he added.
When I noticed the spelling and asked my father, he said nothing could happen now. "Everything is going well, so I didn't pay much heat to this subject," Axar said. Adding further, Axar also revealed that his grandmother's wish to see him on Television was one aspect that turned him into a serious cricketer.
"I always admired the game but was never so serious. But my grandmother used to wish to see me on Tv, and my father told her that whenever I play for team India, I will come on Tv. That made me serious about the game, and my approach towards the game changed completely," he said.
Axar further informed that her grandmother passed away while he was playing a match between Kheda and Gandhinagar in Gujarat. "When I reached home, my father hugged me and cried a lot. He said, 'I’ve never asked anything from you and never will ask anything. But my mother’s last wish was to see you on TV'. That day I became very serious about the game and got stubborn to play for India," he concluded.