Axar Patel is a utility player, but saying just that is saying only half of his story.
The Test debut in Chennai in February 2021 should go down as a landmark game for Axar. Finishing with a match haul of seven wickets in that Test and picking up 20 more in the remaining two matches with his left-arm orthodox bowling, Axar was a vital cog in India’s 3-1 series win over England, which also confirmed their place in the World Test Championship final that year.
Ever since such a performance on debut, Axar has always been in the reckoning for selection in the other two formats as well, even if he hasn’t regularly featured in all of India’s matches over the last five years.
For a good part of his international career so far, the spinner all-rounder has been viewed as a like-for-like replacement for Ravindra Jadeja. The script, however, began undergoing a gradual change since the 2024 T20 World Cup. Axar’s contributions — a bowling spell which included breaking a threatening partnership, a cameo and even a game-changing catch in the deep — were all vital to India winning the trophy.
Jadeja’s retirement from T20I cricket, after India’s triumph in the Caribbean, had further cemented Axar’s place in the XI for the shortest format. It’s not that India will struggle and suffer if Axar is unable to take wickets or has a bad day at office with the ball. Varun Chakravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav are more than capable.
But what keeps Axar apart is his ability to adapt to any situation, be it with the ball or with the bat.
Given his capability as a batsman, he can be slotted in the top five if the team management feels it necessary and when the left-right combination is required. If the opposition is off to a blazing start, the ball can be
handed over to Axar even in the Powerplay, and he will do his best to apply the brakes with his stump-to-stump line.
“A little bit of modification aside, Axar has just focused on becoming stronger in terms of his actual game. Right through, since his early days at the senior level, he has laid emphasis on the basics, and that’s benefiting him now,” Hitesh Majmudar, director of Gujarat Cricket Association academy and a former Gujarat coach, told The Telegraph on Tuesday.
“Ever since his early days in the circuit, we had noticed his abilities with the bat. If needed, he can also go out to bat at No. 3. As a bowler, Axar is someone who’ll never let the batsman even gauge which angles he could try and whether he will bowl closer or wide off the crease. These are also among the stuff that make a difference,” Majmudar pointed out.
A floater in the batting order and quite adaptable when it comes to bowling at any situation of the game, the unheralded Axar’s role is as crucial as seamer all-rounder Hardik Pandya’s in India’s T20I scheme of things. “Axar has turned it around really well over the last two years or so with his all-round capacity,” former national selector Devang Gandhi acknowledged.
“If the situation demands the presence of a left-hander at No. 5, he’s an ideal fit. Besides, given his ability to adjust his game according to the situation, India can afford to have Shivam Dube down the order as the latter is more of a big hitter.”
In ODIs, Axar isn’t quite a regular yet. However, in the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy for Gujarat, he has again proved his mettle in the 50-over format with his maiden List A ton (130 against Andhra) last week and following it up with a 60-ball 73 against Odisha
on Tuesday.
“At present, Jadeja is the one preferred for ODIs. But Axar is very much there and can be in the XI any time,” Devang stated.