Axar Patel has exposed chaos in India’s T20I batting order

Team India T20I vice-captain Axar Patel shares insights on the national team’s approach to the five-match T20I at home against England. According to Axar Patel, only the openers have fixed positions, and the rest of the batting order, which consists of “lots of floaters,” should be flexible.

Ahead of the Champions Trophy, India are set to host England for a five-match T20I series followed by three ODIs. Suryakumar Yadav will lead the Indian T20 side with Axar Patel as vice-captain. The T20I series begins on January 22, with the series opener taking place at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.

Team India has remained undefeated in T20Is since their victory in the T20 World Cup 2024

The Men in Blue T20Is are seen as a more stable unit compared to their ODI and Test squads. They are unbeaten in a T20I series after defeating South Africa in last year’s ICC T20 World Cup 2024. The team is a mix of youth and experience, and has produced strong results so far.

While the upcoming T20I series against England will be of no significance, it will be crucial for India to test their bench strength and start building their core for the 2026 T20 World Cup. India will want their batting to be at a high level by attacking from the start to dominate the series against England.

Middle order as per the condition of the match – Axar Patel comes to bat

In a press conference on Monday, Axar Patel was asked if he was floating in the batting order. Patel explained that while the openers have fixed positions, the rest of the batting order is flexible from numbers 3 to 7, with players assigned roles based on the situation, team combinations and matchups.

“Batting-wise, not only with me, but in 2023-24 itself, we said that the openers have been fixed, but everyone from No. 3 to No. 7 has been told that they can come in to bat at any time in any condition. It is,” Aksar told reporters on Monday.

“Our middle order will come into bat depending on the condition of the match, what kind of bowling they have been doing at that time, which match will work well.”

“We talked about that, how we can all be floaters, it’s coming early or it’s obviously going to end. It’s not just for me, but for everyone from number 3 and below, especially if they’re well connected in. We’ll adjust the network accordingly.”

India has used Axar Patel as a floater in recent years.

In recent years, India have used Axar Patel effectively as a spinner, which has led to significant improvements with the bat. Until 2022, he averaged 21.26 with a strike rate of 131.25 in T20s, but from 2023 his average increased to 30.32 with 145.62.

His versatility allowed him to play in various positions, scoring six half-centuries for India, Delhi Capitals and Gujarat. India experimented with other players like Hardik Pandaya, Tilak Varma, Nitish Reddy, Washington Sundar and Rinku Singh in floating roles.

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