The cricket field witnessed a moment of mixed fortunes for Team India’s all-rounder, Axar Patel, during their Asia Cup 2025 encounter against Oman at Abu Dhabi’s Sheikh Zayed Stadium. What started with a valuable batting contribution ended with a concerning injury on Friday.
Screengrabs capture Axar Patel’s challenging moment on the field.
The unfortunate incident unfolded during Oman’s chase in the 15th over. Shivam Dube delivered a back-of-length ball, which Hammad Mirza attempted to cut but only managed to mistime. Axar, stationed at mid-off, charged forward with determination. Despite his best efforts, he fumbled the catch not once, but twice, before it frustratingly slipped through his grasp. In a painful turn of events, his head collided sharply with the ground in the process, forcing him to leave the field for immediate medical attention, clearly in discomfort.
Earlier in the game, Axar had displayed his batting prowess, smashing a quickfire 26 runs off just 13 deliveries. This crucial cameo helped stabilize India’s innings after some early wickets. However, his evening took an unfortunate turn with the dropped catch and subsequent injury, making it a truly mixed bag of performance for the talented all-rounder.
India’s robust total was largely set up by stellar performances from Abhishek Sharma, who blasted 38 runs off a mere 15 balls, Sanju Samson’s composed half-century of 56, and Tilak Varma’s rapid 29. The Men in Blue got off to a flying start, scoring 60 runs in the powerplay – the highest in Abu Dhabi for the tournament thus far. Yet, Oman’s bowlers showed impressive resilience in the death overs, with Shah Faisal being a standout, claiming 2 wickets for just 23 runs in his four overs. Jiten Ramanandi and Aamir Kaleem also picked up vital wickets, preventing India from reaching an even higher score.
For Oman, captain Jatinder Singh’s steady 32 and Aamir Kaleem’s spirited batting effort kept their hopes alive. However, chasing a target of nearly 190 against a formidable Indian bowling attack ultimately proved to be an uphill battle.
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