As the Indian team has been going through the transition, Axar Patel has been given a big role. He has proved himself as a big match-winner time and again.
With age on his side, he has been given the vice-captaincy of the Indian side. The team management is looking at Axar as a key figure for the next few years. However, Axar is not overthinking about the transition. He is just focused on how he can extract the best out of himself for the Indian team.
In the lead-up to the India-England series, Axar spoke at length about his new role with the team in this transition period.
“Yes, the transition is coming and obviously, it will be the call of the selectors and the captain. At the end of the day, I don’t want to prove anything to anyone. I have played in all three formats. Whether it is T20, ODI or Test matches. So, I tell myself that I have to do well in the opportunities I get.
“If there is a transition and if I am given a role, I will focus on that, on what I have to do. I keep asking myself how to make myself better when I am batting or bowling, and if I keep performing I will automatically make my place.”
When asked about the vice-captaincy, Axar said, “Obviously, it’s been a day, so we have discussed that there is an extra responsibility on me in the leadership group. Our T20 team is settled, so there is not much pressure. But obviously, there are small decisions in the game. I will be working with Surya, so if some input is needed at any time around what we can do and what we can’t, that’s the kind of conversation I have had. And when you come into the leadership group, obviously, you have to make some harsh decisions. If we have genuine opinions and trust in each other, it will be easy.”
When asked about not getting picked up for the recently concluded Border Gavaskar Trophy, he says he is not losing sleep over it.
“I don’t want to take the pressure of being selected or not. I don’t want to decide whether I deserve it or not. Obviously, that team combination is very important. Whether there is space in the team or not. Whether the team combination is right or not. So, I don’t think much about all that. I think about how I can contribute to the team, what I can do if I am in the team; if I am playing, how can I contribute, and if I am not playing, how can I contribute. So, I think about that. And if it is about selection or the Australia series, I want to think about where I tend to get more opportunities. I don’t think I deserve it or not. Obviously, that is part of the journey of cricket because I think there are 15 players in the team. You can’t say that my place is fixed. I don’t think like that.”
Here is what he said when asked about maximizing his own opportunities.
“The target is that we can play as well as we can in the matches we get. And when the World Cup comes after a year, what can we try before that, what should we play like, what should we not play like, what should we approach like. So, the target is that whatever we want to do, we should try from now on,” Axar said. “And momentum is obviously a big thing whenever you want to play cricket. We want to start well and carry the momentum that we had in the last series in 2024.
“But that said, what has happened has happened but we have discussed how we can take confidence from that, what were the positive things we did and what can we do in the future. We will take all that and move forward. And what has happened will not come back. But what we have done and why we have got success, we will talk about that and move forward.”
According to him, India will continue to be flexible about batters apart from the openers. This approach has brought some success for the Indian team in the past.
“See, batting-wise, it is not particularly happening with me. I think in 2023-2024, it was said that the openers are fixed. After that, I think from 3rd to 7th, everyone has been told that you can go in any situation,” Axar explained. “So, it is not that only this batsman will go [at this position]. It depends on the combination, which bowler is difficult for which batsman, so according to that, we have spoken about using batters as floaters at any time. And if needed, you can go up the order, and if not, then obviously you will be doing the finishing job.
“So, it is the same this time too. There is no such fixed position. And not just for me, I think it is the same for everyone. Depends on what kind of day a particular batter is having, what we saw when they were practising in nets; that this batsman can play well here, so according to that, it [batting order] can be adjusted. And the T20 game is also such that when you use a particular batsman, it is very important. So that’s the role everyone has to play.”