Axar Patel, a left-arm spin all-rounder for India, was one of the three nominees for the ICC Men's Player of the Month award on Wednesday as a result of several strong and restrained bowling performances over the month of September.
Along with Patel, nominees for the award are Australian all-arounder Cameron Green and Pakistani wicketkeeper-batsman Mohammad Rizwan.
Patel, who is a frequent significant danger in India's bowling lineup, had a productive September and received his first nomination for Player of the Month honours. In the run-packed T20I series between India and Australia after senior left-arm spin all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja was forced to withdraw from the T20 World Cup owing to a knee injury and subsequent surgery, Patel has ably filled the hole.
He shone most notably in the home series against Australia, taking 3/17 in Mohali even though Australia chased down 209 despite his nine wickets at an average of 11.44 and a fantastic economy rate of just 5.72. The foundation for an Indian triumph was laid when he then picked 2/13 in eight overs in a side match in Nagpur.
Aaron Finch and Josh Inglis were both dismissed in the series-deciding game in Hyderabad by Patel, who also got rid of the dangerous Matthew Wade. Patel finished with figures of 3/33 and was named Player of the Series.
Axar finished the series with eight wickets at an economy rate of 6.3, compared to the next best wicket-total taker's of just three. At the first T20I in Thiruvananthapuram, he continued his strong play by giving up just 16 runs in four overs, highlighting his substantial credentials as a crucial player for India in the shorter format of the game.
After putting on a string of stellar performances in September, Australia's Green is nominated for the Men's Player of the Month Award for the first time. After scoring an unbeaten 89 to help Australia defeat New Zealand by two wickets in the first of three ODIs to ultimately claim the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy, he attracted notice once more in the T20I series against India.
In his first T20I opener match for Australia, Green scored an exciting 61 from 30 balls to help his team win the first game in Mohali. Despite Australia losing the series, Green led his team in run scoring with 118 runs at an average of 39.33, including another fifty in the series-deciding game in Hyderabad.
The Men's T20I Player Rankings for hitters have Rizwan at the top, and his performance in September made it clear why. He scored three half-centuries in the closing stages of his team's Asia Cup campaign, advancing them to the championship game. He then carried on his hot streak in the ensuing T20I series against an England team that was on a visit.
Following that, there were four more half-centuries, the best of which was an unbeaten 88 during the resounding ten-wicket triumph in the second T20I while chasing down the foreigners' intimidating 199 total. From his ten T20I matches, Rizwan finished the month with 553 runs at an average of 69.12 runs per game.