With the Delhi Daredevils needing three runs off the last over in their chase of 166, Axar Patel was handed the ball by Kings XI Punjab captain George Bailey after much discussion. The spinner, who had earlier effected a run out to keep Kings XI Punjab in the fray, took up the tough task assigned by his team. But even as he bowled with courage, the home side lost the game with a ball to spare.

The left-arm spinner reflected on the loss and recounted the final moments of the match while speaking to iplt20.com after the game. Excerpts from the interview:What was the discussion in the middle before you were handed the ball to bowl the last over?The discussion was that anything can happen.

So (the plan was) not to do anything lightly and bowl with effort. We were talking about what kind of field to set and that there were two new batsmen in the middle. So (we were discussing) what needed to be done.

We were setting up the field and trying to keep calm. How did it come about to you bowling the last over?The discussion was about whether to give the over to a pacer or a spinner. But then Viru paaji (Virender Sehwag) and Maxi (Glenn Maxwell) told Bailey that with three runs remaining we can take chance with spin because there was one overseas player in the middle and the other batsman was also new to the crease.

And so after that discussion, Bailey gave me the ball to bowl the final over. DD had lost their last two games off the last ball. Did that give you hope?Their last two losses came in very close games.

So there was that feeling that there is a possibility that may be we can do something and pull off a win. In a match anything can happen till the end, so we tried. It wasn’t as if we had given up or that we had accepted defeat.

We were working to take it to as far as we could. Do you think you had enough runs on the board?With the kind of start that we had got and the way we were placed at the end of ten overs, and the way Viru paaji was playing, we finished maybe 15-20 runs short. And we couldn’t really score off the last over.

And then we had lost wickets in the middle overs. So I think we ended 15-20 runs lesser than what we should have got. You ran JP Duminy out and that helped peg the Daredevils back a bit.

Tell us about the effort to get that run out.I took a chance. There was no one there behind (to back me).

But I had to take the chance because they had lost only one wicket (into the eight over) and both the batsmen who were at the crease were set. I took the risk and was rewarded for it. With the game going neck-and-neck, how was it bowling here?Obviously it was a bit tough because it was a bit easier for the batsmen and the ball wasn’t turning much either; the ball was skidding and coming on to the bat.

So obviously the situation was a bit tough. But after that run out (off JP Duminy), their run rate was pegged back a bit. But then again, they scored off Mitchell Johnson (later on) and that again pushed us back.

Otherwise everyone bowled well. In the last over with the game tipped in opposition’s favour you got a wicket. What was going through your mind? I was thinking that it is the last over and if I try too many things then runs will be conceded.

So I was trying to make them play on one side of the wicket and hoping that will result in a wicket. .

Source: http://www.iplt20.com/news/2015/features/5998/i-hope-mayank-plays-for-india-soon-yuvraj