India created history on March 9 (Sunday) when they lifted the Champions Trophy title for the third time by defeating New Zealand in the final. This was truly a collective team effort, and two of the biggest stars for the team in this victory were Virat Kohli and Varun Chakaravarthy. Kohli played two masterclass knocks against Pakistan and in the semi-final vs Australia, while Chakaravarthy finished with 9 wickets playing just 3 games. However, Ricky Ponting has given special mention to Axar Patel for his contribution in the Champions Trophy 2025 campaign.

Axar Patel picked up 5 wickets in 5 games at an economy of 4.35, and he primarily choked the run flow in the middle overs. He also scored 109 runs with the bat, coming in at a new position of no.5 In each of his innings he scored a few runs and provided solidity to the middle order.

In the latest episode of the ICC Review Show, Ricky Ponting said that Axar Patel deserves a lot of credit for being consistent, especially with his bowling.

“Axar Patel is the other one that I think needs a lot of credit for this tournament. I think his bowling was as consistent and rock solid as you’d ever see," Ponting said.

In the interaction, Ricky Ponting said that India were a well-balanced side, especially with so many all rounders. The one little flaw in their team was that they were light in the fast bowling department.

“They were a very well-balanced side anyway, but because they had so many all-rounders…when you’ve got Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, who they used up the order on several occasions for that left-handed option and with Jadeja there as well, they were a very well-balanced team," Ponting said.

“The only thing you would probably say, they probably looked a little bit light on fast bowling, but as it turned out, they didn’t need that," he pointed out.

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