Signalling a shift in tradition from having specialists for designated positions in the Playing XI, India’s newly-appointed T20I vice-captain Axar Patel emphasised the importance of being flexible enough to be used as floaters as per match situation in the build-up to the five-match T20I series against England, starting here Wednesday.

According to Patel, barring the opening combination of Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma, the batting order from one down to No.7 will be used as floaters depending on the match situation.

Advertisement

In recent years, India have mostly used Axar as a floater to good effect, which has worked well both in terms of the team’s requirements and his personal growth as a batter. 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 here 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.”

Axar acknowledged that the new role comes with a set of responsibilities, and as a part of the leadership group, he is learning to take the harsh calls.

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

“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,” he added.

While the immediate focus is on ODI cricket with the ICC Champions Trophy approaching in the next month, one eye will also be on the shortest format as defending world champions India is set to co-host the next T20 World Cup along with Sri Lanka in February-March 2026.

But apart from these five matches against England, Suryakumar Yadav’s men do not have too many T20Is lined up before they embark on their title defence. The Indian team is 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. 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,” Axar said.

“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,” he added.