Superman Axar Patel to the rescue: The catch that never was... the effort that will always be

TimesofIndia.com in Mumbai: Will Jacks c Dube b Arshdeep Singh. This is how the dismissal of Will Jacks will be registered in the record books. But what unfolded was far more dramatic. It was a piece of athletic brilliance and awareness that turned the catch into a highlight-reel moment.

Not often do you pull off a blinder to give your side a much-needed breakthrough and yet have no mention of it on the scoreboard. Despite the hard strides, the scorecard will always mention Shivam Dube, but Axar Patels catch that never was will probably go down as one of the most iconic fielding efforts in Indian cricket history.

He took quick strides to his left, both hands stretched out, almost tripping but maintaining control, and then produced a neat relay for Shivam Dube to complete the formalities in the deep. Then came the celebratory grunt as the two players hugged each other and the entire team dashed towards Axar for the second time that evening. The fifth-wicket partnership of 77 off 39 balls between Jacob Bethell and Will Jacks was beginning to look threatening.

However, it wasnt the first time Axar produced something spectacular during Englands run chase. Earlier, he turned from inside the circle and sprinted at full tilt to get under Harry Brooks miscued hit over covers. Even after covering plenty of distance, it seemed the ball had escaped him, but he stretched fully in a dive and managed to hold on to a stunning catch.

For Axar, who felt the ball kept following him in the field as another opportunity came his way in Hardik Pandyas final over, both catches carried different significance. While the Jacks catch mattered more in the context of the game, Brooks was the more difficult of the two.

Both of them are different. When I caught Harry Brook, I think it was a very good catch for me. I think it was tough. But if you look at the situation and the way the batters were batting, that catch of Will Jacks was very important to break the partnership at that time. So its very tough for me if you ask me. But fielding-wise, I think the catch of Harry Brook was tougher. I thought the ball was behind me today, said Axar in a media interaction following Indias seven-run win over England.

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