In ODIs last July, life under head coach Gautam Gambhir got off to a rough start. Although the three-match series in Sri Lanka ended in a draw and two defeats, the series provided a preview of the team combinations that would be used in the 50-over format under the old opener.
After winning the IPL championship with KKR, Gambhir entered the Indian dressing room and apparently brought some of the ideas with him. India’s shape-shifting top-order to make room for a left-handed floater at No. 4, even if it meant displacing Shreyas Iyer, who has 530 runs in 11 World Cup 2023 matches at two-drop, to a position below, was a recurrent theme in those losses to Sri Lanka.
After being given the first opportunity, Washington Sundar failed (5 off 4 in the 1st ODI). Then Shivam Dube arrived. India’s dedication to the concept of a left-handed floater was further cemented in the second ODI against Sri Lanka, where he batted at No. 4 and was dismissed for a four-ball duck. Axar Patel came at No. 5, and Shreyas dropped down another position.
India had not yet incorporated this idea into their 50-over format. While the tried-and-true right-handed top five of Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, and KL Rahul carried out all the heavy lifting in a successful ODI World Cup campaign less than a year prior, rearranging batting lineups to accommodate matchups still belonged in the T20 ecosystem. However, that changed under Gambhir, who also successfully put Sunil Narine back at the top of KKR’s lineup for the 2024 Indian Premier League.
This setup for India has more variables. Rahul wore the gloves and scored 452 runs from the middle-order as India played the home World Cup while Pant recovered from his terrible injury. The transition back to the 50-over format has not been easy, but Pant ultimately returned to assume the keeper’s post in Tests and T20Is. Rohit Sharma alluded to Rahul keeping his berth for “continuity” prior to the current England series.
“Obviously, KL has been keeping wickets for us in the ODI format for a number of years now, and he has done pretty well. If you look at the last 10-15 ODIs, he has done exactly what the team required him to do. Rishabh is also there. We have an option of playing either one of them. Both are capable of winning games for us, so it is a good headache to have. But looking at the past, continuity is also very important for us. That is where we stand as a team,” said Rohit.
Roads thus brought in Axar, who, with a run-a-ball of 44 in the second Sri Lanka ODI six months ago, presented a strong audition for the position. He gave a good response once more. In Nagpur, he batted at No. 5 and outscored Rahul with a 47-ball 52 that featured six fours and a six. Adil Rashid, Liam Livingstone, and Joe Root were the spin trio that had to be faced during the knock. He set up India for victory by taking 27 off 24 against them and forming a strong partnership with Shreyas throughout the middle overs. He mostly faced spinners in the second ODI in Cuttack as well, scoring 33 of his 41 runs against them.
Since he must hit with the turn against two of the three England spinners in this series—Adil Rashid and Liam Livingstone—Axar’s life at bat has been comparatively easy. He is probably going to see equally advantageous matchups in the middle overs of the forthcoming Champions Trophy as well. There is at least one spinner whose main job it is to turn the ball into him in each of India’s group stage opponents, including Bangladesh, Pakistan, and New Zealand (Rishad Hossain, Abrar Ahmed, Mitchell Santner).
Although Gambhir’s India may still have a lot of options, Axar now appears to be the ideal choice for their concept of a left-handed floater who is supposed to stir things up in the middle overs.
