Axar Patel is part of the upcoming T20 World Cup squad and will serve as the team’s vice captain

January 20 marks the birthday of one of India’s finest present-gen all-rounders, Axar Patel. Hailing from Nadiad, Gujarat, Patel, who turns 32 years old, has been with the Indian national side since 2014, when he made his ODI debut against Bangladesh. Since then, Patel has not looked up, playing consistently for the team across formats.

While most cricket fans are familiar with Patel's on-field exploits, many may not be aware of some lesser-known facts and anecdotes. Therefore, on Patel’s birthday, here’s a list of unknown facts about 'Bapu’.

From Akshar to Axar

We all know that in the Indian context, the spelling of ‘Axar’ is slightly incorrect because it should be ‘Akshar’, which was the case until a mistake occurred during Patel’s U-19 days. On the ‘Breakfast with Champions’ YouTube channel, Axar had once revealed, “So the correct spelling of my name is 'Akshar'. But I was in Bangalore for the U19 camp before the World Cup. The team was going to Australia. So, everyone told me to get a passport made, but I didn't have one.

I needed a leaving certificate and licence. When I went to the school to take the leaving certificate, the principal made it 'Axar'. I have no idea what he did. The NCA people said you usually write 'Akshar', then why is it 'Axar' in your passport? I called my dad, and he said nothing can be changed. Then I was picked by the Mumbai Indians and played for India too. So, I thought, “Everything is going good, so let’s not disturb things.”

Getting nicknamed ‘Bapu’

Axar Patel is often hailed as ‘Bapu’ in the team, but do you know who gave him this nickname? It’s none other than Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Patel had revealed that Dhoni was reluctant to address him as Patel or Axar and gave statements like, “Well bowled, Axar or Patel.” Dhoni had noticed that Jadeja was also called ‘Bapu’ by many of his Gujarati teammates, and therefore, Dhoni started addressing Axar as ‘Bapu’.

Humble Axar’s not-so-humble car collection

In the world of cricket, which is all bling today, Axar Patel remains one of those players who do not like to show off a fancy and blingy lifestyle. However, Axar Patel's car collection, despite his humble demeanour, is quite impressive. Patel is obsessed with cars – his father, Rajesh, while speaking to The New Indian Express, revealed, “After making it to the Ranji team, he bought a Verna. Only after he made it to the Indian team, he bought a Creta, and now the badda wala (big one – Land Rover).”

Patel has a Range Rover Autobiography, a Land Rover Discovery, a Mercedes-Benz C-Class and a Mercedes-Benz AMG GLA35.

What if not a cricketer?

Given Axar Patel was brilliant as a student in school, his dream was to pursue engineering. However, when he was 13, his talent was spotted by Sunil Joshi and R Venkatramana, who knew that grooming him as a player would help him get to places. Following the guidance of his coaches and mentors, Patel has become a crucial all-rounder for India today.

This year, as Patel grows a year older and wiser, we hope he has a tremendous World Cup, helping India win the trophy while achieving a few personal bests.