Delhi Capitals (DC) captain Axar Patel said that he hopes vice-captain Faf du Plessis will return for their next encounter against Gujarat Titans (GT) on Saturday. He also stated that the physiotherapist will update him on Plessis’ match fitness.

Due to an injury that has not yet been disclosed, Du Plessis has missed DC’s games against the Chennai Super Kings, Mumbai Indians, and Rajasthan Royals. I’ve been informed up to this point that he is unable to play for three games. Two bouts are over because he has been recovering. He could be able to play against Gujarat, but physiotherapists will need to see how he is responding to the injury first,” Axar said at the news conference after the game.

When he is well, Abishek Porel, who has performed admirably as an opener in du Plessis’ absence, might replace a struggling Jake Fraser-McGurk, who has only scored 55 runs at a strike rate of 105.76 in six games. However, Axar said that Fraser-McGurk would continue to have opportunities to succeed in the future.

“I think in a somewhat different way. For example, you have that buffer if there is no start and we are still performing well. You have the option to stick with the same squad if you win and don’t receive a start. The identical notion crossed my mind: that box isn’t being checked. However, he was playing well for us the previous year and had made significant runs at this location.

However, he is a player who will completely turn the tide of a match in your favour if you give him a chance and he scores a lot of runs. We continue to discuss his thoughts and practices, even though I am aware the box is not being checked. Yes, that is the way of thinking. However, you consider all of these choices after the team wins.

Additionally, we can give him a few more opportunities since we have that cushion. I’ll give a fair run to anybody I give a chance. He wins matches as a player, and I can understand how crucial he is to me. We will continue to consider the options—what to do or not do. For now, however, we have prevailed. So we’ll have a little fun,” he said.

Axar, a left-arm spin bowling all-rounder, has never had a full-time leadership position in the IPL before, but he has so far said that he is enjoying it and that his primary goal is to support his decision-making abilities.

When I assumed this position, you did love being captain. I know what to do and what not to do since I was doing all of this for state cricket. Why not take advantage of the opportunity to manage the squad as you see fit and to play cricket the way you want to? So, both on and off the pitch, I’m having fun.

“I’m acting on my thoughts. You don’t have to follow a template to do this. I’m supporting myself and doing what I believe is right. Since I’m doing it for the first time, the experience isn’t too great.

It’s not as if I’m listening to other people, then. I listen, of course, but I believe that you support yourself when you have to make a choice. As a result, you will be aware of your strengths and weaknesses. I take pleasure in making such choices.

“I don’t know about the rest, but I believe that if you’ve made a mistake, there’s no harm in admitting it,” Axar said when asked how he responds when certain leadership initiatives don’t work out as planned. Since it’s a tactical choice, I’ll argue you can’t call it a mistake. What can you do if you have to remove one over while playing two lefties? Which resources are available to you? You think, “Yes, I can use this,” at that moment, and you want to use it.

But sometimes it does or does not function. I thus cannot call it a mistake. You may claim that your choice was unsuccessful. You feel like you made the right choice when it works. It’s both ways, then. You get praise, but you also receive criticism. But that’s the way it is, and that’s all right.

Axar eventually came to bat against RR, hitting 34 off 14 balls. He then took out Wanindu Hasaranga and Maheesh Theekshana in the back end, helping DC reach 188/5, which included 77 runs in the last five overs. Axar acknowledged that it would be tempting to promote himself as a batter, but he decided to prioritise the needs of the team.

“That isn’t the case. As a player, I recognise what the team needs and adjust my batting appropriately. Given the calibre of our batters, I will go early as captain if it fits the plan; if not, I won’t. Thus, I make such choices. Yes, it is alluring since I can advance and I am a commander.

However, I make judgements with the team in mind since this is a team game. Early on, I was unable to provide the same impact with the bat. I’m not sure whether that was being too combative or a kind rejection. I knew exactly who I wanted to target and who I didn’t want to target, however.

I believed the fast bowler had a solid slower bouncer when he arrived. Since he had two or three overs of spinners, I didn’t target him. I didn’t go to make a fancy photo; instead, I waited for it. I improved my batting technique, and it was successful.

In addition, Axar eventually claimed his first wicket of the competition by dismissing Riyan Parag. He also spoke about his difficulties bowling while suffering from a cut on his finger during the Champions Trophy campaign in Dubai. “I sliced my finger during the Champions Trophy, and the skin hasn’t yet healed over it. I had been saving myself, and I could see that I would bowl whenever the team needed me to have the ball.

However, the skin covering had once again fallen off after bowling four overs against SRH. I was unable to apply pressure and bowl as quickly as I would have liked because of this. The finger is doing well right now, and I believe that if I had made the catch in the field when I got the first wicket, I would have also gotten the second one. I would have taken a review.

But I don’t give it much thought; it’s just a part of the game. I believe that I don’t give a damn about wickets if I am bowling well. I wouldn’t give much thought to whether I got the wicket or not if I had delivered the appropriate ball, carried out my strategy well, and received a yes.

As DC captain, Axar concluded by expressing his satisfaction with the victory in the Super Over but pointing out that fielding still needs work. For the first time in this circumstance, I was the captain. However, winning demonstrates the team’s confidence and spirit. You can tell the character of the squad in such a circumstance.

As captain, it was beneficial for me since I learnt how the squad would perform in such circumstances. I am very pleased with my team’s performance in both playing cricket and carrying out their strategy. We shall see in the next game, but we will need to become better at fielding.