Shamik Chakrabarty in Mumbai
Once upon a time, when cricket wasn’t unencumbered by PR machinery and social media wheeze, utility cricketers used to get recognition from the common viewers and connoisseurs alike for adding meat and steel to the team. Times have changed and the number of followers on social media is now used as a reference point to judge a player’s value, and stardom. The perception has changed, but the game hasn’t, in terms of retaining its basics. In the dressing room, the players for all seasons are loved and respected. No wonder that Axar Patel is rated highly in the Indian change room.
Axar is arguably India’s most utility cricketer in the white-ball variety. He can choke the opponents with his left-arm spin. As a batsman, he can anchor the innings and at the same time, has the skill set to up the ante. He is also a pretty safe fielder — a cricketer whom every captain would like to have in his side. And yet, Axar is Indian cricket’s perennial underdog story. At the moment, with the Indian squad for the Asia Cup set to be picked on August 19, the debate is about whether he will retain the T20I vice-captaincy or lose it to Shubman Gill.
Axar was immense during India’s T20 World Cup-winning campaign last year. Rahul Dravid and Rohit Sharma, then head coach and captain, used him as a floater in the batting line-up. Crisis man would be a more appropriate term, be it his 39-run third-wicket partnership with Rishabh Pant against Pakistan — a match-winning association — or his 31-ball 47 against South Africa in the final. In the semi-final against England, he had spun a web around Jos Buttler & Co, returning with 3/23 off four overs.
After the World Cup, as the wind of change hit India’s T20 set-up under new head coach Gautam Gambhir, Axar was elevated to vice-captaincy at the expense of Hardik Pandya. Since then, he has been an excellent second in command to skipper Suryakumar Yadav. It is learnt that if Surya is asked to attend the Asia Cup selection meeting, he would surely bat for his deputy.
Axar’s first press conference post-promotion was at Eden Gardens, and as usual, he was matter of fact. “Yes, a transition phase is coming, and ultimately, it’s the call of the selectors and captain,” he told reporters. “I don’t feel the need to prove anything to anyone. My approach is to focus on fulfilling the role assigned to me and continuously improving myself. If I perform well, my place in the team will take care of itself automatically.”
The transition phase saw India binning slow burn and adopting an ultra-aggressive approach in the shortest format. Over the last 12 months, they have won 13 T20Is out of 15. Does a side that is settled and runs on auto-pilot need tinkering? The Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee will have to decide if they want to rock India’s T20I boat beyond subtle changes.
Breaking the Sanju Samson-Abhishek Sharma partnership might not augur well. Also, Axar probably hasn’t done anything wrong to be stripped of vice-captaincy.
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