At a time when speculation about Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma’s future in International cricket is everybody’s favourite topic of debate, Axar Patel said that the senior duo’s presence in the team will help new captain Shubman Gill grow as a leader.
“For Gill, it’s perfect, Rohit bhai and Virat bhai are there, and along with that, they have been captains, so they can give their input also, so it is very good growth of Gill’s captaincy,” Axar said during a media interaction in Perth on Friday.
“What has been good about Gill’s captaincy thus far is that he has not been pressurised,” Axar added.
Gill, who was appointed the Test captain ahead of the tour of England earlier this year, has also been made the skipper in ODIs, replacing Rohit.
Rohit and Kohli have not played for India since the Champions Trophy in March. But Axar said that the star pair looked as sharp as ever in practice.
“They both are world-class players. We can see after the first match (how their form is)... They are professionals, so they know what to do. They have been practising in Bengaluru's Centre of Excellence, so I think they are ready to go.
“They are looking very good, both in nets and fitness-wise,” said the left-arm spinner, who is also a decent lower-middle order batter.
While the Australian conditions can be quite challenging for cricketers from the subcontinent, most of the India players are not unfamiliar with the tests that lie ahead. Axar said that the conditions were not really a part of their dressing room discussions and instead, they were busy drawing up the game plans for the upcoming series.
“I feel that since 2015 (Axar’s first visit Down Under), there have been a lot of changes. When we used to come, the talk was about pitches, conditions, bounce and we used to play less as well.
“We started playing regularly after the 2015 World Cup, and the series started getting longer, and after that, the batters started doing well,” Axar said.
“When we come now, it doesn’t feel like Australian conditions and that we have to be more ready. We are now thinking about where we can make runs, so we talk about strategy and timing, we are not talking about the pitch, we are talking about how we can strategise,” he added.
Having been picked in the ODI squad ahead of Ravindra Jadeja as the spin-bowling all-rounder, Axar is aware of his responsibilities.
“I am very confident about this series. In the Asia Cup, I did well both with bat and ball. After a long time, I would be playing in Australia. I am ready for the challenge.”