Axar hints at flexible middle order as India gear up for England T20Is

All of India’s batters apart from their openers can expect to have flexible roles in the T20I line-up. Axar Patel, India’s newly appointed vice-captain in the format, suggested this could be the case in his press conference ahead of the five-match T20I series against England.

The series is set to kick off in Kolkata on Wednesday, with Chennai, Rajkot, Pune and Mumbai to host the remaining T20Is.

In recent years, India have used Axar to good effect as a floater. It’s a reflection of his improvement with the bat – having averaged 21.26 and struck at 131.25 in all T20s until the end of 2022, he has upped his performances significantly, averaging 30.32 and striking at 145.62 since the start of 2023 – and his versatility, with India, Delhi Capitals and Gujarat sending him out in a variety of situations. He has scored six half-centuries in these last two years, from Nos. 3, 4, 6 and 7.

Over recent months, India have used not just Axar but also Hardik Pandya, Tilak Varma, Nitish Reddy, Washington Sundar and Rinku Singh as floaters with varying levels of success.

“Batting wise, it’s not just with me, but we spoke in 2023-24 itself that the openers are fixed, but everyone from Nos. 3 to 7 have been told that they can come into bat anytime, in any situation. It is not just that one batter will bat at a particular position,” Axar told reporters on Monday. “Our middle order will come to bat depending on the match situation, what kind of bowlers are bowling at the time, which match-up works well.

“We’ve spoken about that, how we can all be floaters, be it coming in early or obviously finishing. This is not just for me, but for everyone from No. 3 and below, especially if they are in good touch in the nets. We will adjust accordingly. In T20Is, how you use your batters is so crucial, so this is an important factor in batting.”

As Suryakumar Yadav’s deputy in T20Is, Axar felt he would have to to learn to take difficult calls. It is a topic he has discussed with the support staff too.

“It has just been a day, but as part of the leadership group there is an extra responsibility,” Axar said. “The T20I side is settled, so there’s not much pressure, but there are small decisions that need making and during the game I need to work closely with Suryakumar.

“As part of the leadership group, you have to learn to take harsh decisions. We have spoken about sharing our genuine opinions and that will help build trust in this group.

“The T20I format is such that it is so fast that you have to make decisions quickly, so the larger conversations [with the coaches] is about how to do that.”

India’s immediate focus is on ODI cricket, with the Champions Trophy looming, but T20Is will assume greater significance once that tournament ends. Defending champions India and Sri Lanka are set to co-host the T20 World Cup in February-March 2026. Apart from these five matches against England, India don’t have too many T20Is lined up before they embark on their title defence: currently, they are scheduled to play three T20Is in Bangladesh in August, and five at home against South Africa later in the year.

“The World Cup is coming up in a year so how we approach leading up to that, we want to try it from now itself. That’s the main target,” Axar said. “Momentum is a big thing because if you start well, you can carry it. We finished 2024 well so we want to carry the momentum into this series too.

“But we’ve discussed that the past is past, however, we want to move ahead with the positives we gained from there. We have taken forward the points that brought us success.

“Transition is also something happening, across all formats, but that’s a call for the selectors and captain to take.”

Sreshth Shah is a sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo. @sreshthx