Delhi Capitals skipper Axar Patel conceded that his team has struggled with shaky starts with Jake Fraser-McGurk yet to fire this season but backed the Australian to be a game-changer once he finds his rhythm. The 23-year-old opener, who lit up the tournament in his maiden season last year with his power-hitting, has looked a shadow of himself in this edition. His ongoing struggles at the top continued in DC's dramatic Super Over win against Rajasthan Royals, as he perished inside the Powerplay for the fifth time this season.
"I have a different opinion. If you don't get a start, we are still doing well. So you have that cushion that you can go from the same team," Axar told reporters on Wednesday.
"So I was thinking, the box isn't getting ticked but at the same time we are winning and he is such a player, that the day he gets going he will hand you the match."
I back myself: Axar on captaincy
As the IPL reaches its halfway stage, the jovial all-rounder has emerged as the tournament's most successful captain, steering his side to five wins in six games.
"I was captaining for state cricket, I know what to do and what not to do. And when you get a chance to run the team as you want and play the way you want to play then why not," said Axar.
Axar, who has led his state side Gujarat in 23 matches across formats, said he isn't one to lean heavily on analytics or prescribed captaincy templates.
"I am doing what I think is right and not following a template. I am backing myself. I am not captaining for the first time. There is planning, which is for my awareness that what's going on, how the other team is playing. Obviously, sometimes it works.
"But as a captain, I see who is in form, how their day is going, what they can do and what they can't. I choose according to the situation. I am not completely data driven," he added.
Against RR, Axar's impact wasn't just with strategy. After a string of low-key outings, he finally delivered a telling performance with both bat and ball.
His 14-ball 34 provided Delhi with the much-needed boost.
"I thought I was batting well for the last one-and-a-half years. But when I came to this tournament, I wasn't able to create an impact. I don't know if it was a soft dismissal or something. I was getting out in an over-aggressive manner. But when I went today, I was clear. I knew who I wanted to target." With the ball, he plucked his first wicket of the season by bamboozling Riyan Parag. Asked about his underwhelming returns, Axar reiterated that a finger injury sustained during the Champions Trophy has held him back.
"I sustained a cut on my finger during the Champions Trophy. The skin is yet to come. Every time I bowl, the skin comes off. So I was saving myself. I couldn't bowl at my speed. So I felt I was bowling well but was not able to get the impact I want."
Du Plessis could play the next match
DC vice-captain Faf Du Plessis has missed the team's last two games, against Mumbai Indians and Rajasthan Royals, due to an unspecified injury.
"I had been told that he wouldn't be able to play three matches -- that's the time he needs to recover -- and two matches are done. Maybe he will play the Gujarat game. But the physio has to confirm how his rehab has been going," Axar said.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)