I just couldn’t stop crying, was very happy for him: Axar Patel's mother Priti

Axar Patel’s parents Rajesh and Priti with their dog Gucci yesterday. Pic/Harit N Joshi

The quaint town of Nadiad, an hour's drive from here, seems to have come alive after Axar Patel's 11-wicket heroics in the third Test against England. That effort was instrumental in India wrapping up the match in just two days at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Motera on Thursday.

India's Axar Patel on Day Two of the third Test against England at Ahmedabad on Thursday. PIC/BCCI

Faces lit up as soon as Axar's name is mentioned near his home. The attendant at the petrol pump and roadside vendors can tell you where Axar lives. "Almost four to five lakh people live in this town. It is a matter of great pride that the people of Nadiad know my house. It is all because of my son," Axar's father Rajesh says, his chest swelling with pride.

Child-like enthusiasm
The second Test highlights can be seen on giant television screen in the living room and Rajesh's eyes light up whenever the camera focuses on his son. Rajesh's child-like enthusiasm cannot go unnoticed.

Axar's mother tells mid-day that there was a festive atmosphere at the Patel dwelling the previous day when her son ended the Test with 11 wickets to take his series tally to 18 in just two Tests. And there were firecrackers when Axar claimed his fifth wicket in the second innings after England wicketkeeper Ben Foakes was trapped LBW. "I just couldn't stop crying. I was very happy for him. He has worked very hard to get to this level," says Priti, her eyes welling up.

Axar's parents never expected three five-wicket bags and a 10-wicket haul in his first two Test matches. He was playing the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament when he called his family to inform them of his Test selection. "It has always been his goal to play in all three formats. He was keen to perform in the absence of Ravindra Jadeja," says cousin Sankship.

Axar started making waves on Gujarat's district circuit, but an eye injury almost forced his mother to stop his cricket. "He got hit on the eye while batting when he was 14 during an inter-school match. I feared for his eyesight. I wanted to him discontinue cricket as it was very risky. But his father insisted; said these things happen and we should allow him to continue with his cricket," says Priti.

Dad's support
Rajesh remarks: "I was very keen on cricket. I played it at district level and it was my wish that my son becomes a cricketer. So Axar always had my full support." Axar's mother, though, wanted her son to become an engineer.

His dart-style bowling is because he started off as a fast bowler before a knee injury forced him to opt for spin. Axar invariably turns to his childhood coach and mentor Amrish Patel whenever he wants guidance on his game. Whenever Axar is in town, he heads to the Kheda District Cricket Ground, which is a couple of kilometres from his house, to practise and share his experience with youngsters training there. When not training, his dog Gucci takes away most of his time at home.

"Before every match he calls to take our blessings," his parents reveal. The fact that he is still a vegetarian also makes his family proud of him. "Whenever he is home, he prefers to eat routine food and not his strict diet stuff. He is generally six to seven months away from home. So, whenever he is coming back home, he will ask me to prepare chai bhakri. He just loves it. He will call me from the car itself," Priti says. When Axar was a child, his father forced him to eat and write with his right hand. Luckily, they did not try to tinker with his cricket - from left to right.

Now that he is performing at the international level, Axar's mother is keen her son settles down in life. And she has received an "in-principle" permission from Axar to find a girl for him. Wedding bells may appear imminent, but nothing else is more important than a possible encore in the next Test, also at Motera. Nadiad and the Patel household couldn't be happier if that happens.

18
No. of wickets claimed by Axar Patel in two Tests