Axar Patel – the trusted deputy, and man for every season and situation

Axar was seen chuckling with wisecracks and slapping hands while pointing to different areas of the ground. Seeing him so relaxed and joking around, one wouldn’t realise the brouhaha brewing in social media about him being slotted in Grade C of BCCI’s central contracts.

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But his voice holds weight; it has slipped under the radar, typical of his style, but the easy-going allrounder is India’s vice captain. Having spent six years with the Delhi Capitals, having also been made captain of the side last year, he knows these parts well. And the multi-faceted skill set of India’s roving handyman has made him a crucial cog in the crack unit that the national team has assembled, heavily tipped to defend their title at home next month.

It is no secret that it has never been better to be an allrounder than in today’s Indian white-ball setup. Apart form a few specialist X-factor players, the present team management leans heavily on players that can play a variety of roles and pitch in with small yet crucial contributions. That modern T20 cricket rewards this philosophy is present in India’s results – they have won nine series on the trot since winning the World T20 in 2024. It also explains why India can afford to hardly give a wrist spinner of Kuldeep Yadav’s quality a game, or leave a top-order batter like Shreyas Iyer out of their World Cup squad altogether.

Nobody has aced the task of filling in with those contributions like Axar.

India’s Axar Patel in action during the first T20I vs South Africa in Cuttack. (PHOTO: AP)

A composed batter that can be trusted to send up the order while trying to stop the flow of wickets, or down the order to tonk the fast bowlers at the death. It’s not for nothing that he has played as many as 28 matches since the T20 World Cup final in Barbados 18 months ago; only five others in the side have played more in that time. During that period, his bowling average stands at a miserly 17.93 with 30 wickets to boot. His fingerspin is trustworthy to the extent that he is, at times, summoned as early as the powerplay while batters smell blood against the quicks. He has also performed with aplomb the thankless task of facing opposition batters’ fury while Varun Chakravarthy applies the choke from the other end.

He is as nonchalant and easy going on the pitch as he is on his recently launched YouTube channel, where he has uploaded behind-the-scenes clips of time spent with teammates. But there is steel that lies below this jovial character. A largely forgotten but immensely crucial contribution was his 31-ball 47 in the final against South Africa in Barbados, hitting four sixes on a tough pitch while India were put in a tough spot. Had he not absorbed pressure so coolly then, and given Virat Kohli the space to go into his anchor role, India may not have had a title to defend here at all.

There is self-discipline and planning behind the jokes. “Daring is like tukka (freak luck). I am not going there with 50-50, laga toh laga type. You go hit out, or try some random balls as a bowler and hua toh hua (If it happens, it happens). I am not like that. I prepare so well that I am confident. Confidence in myself is my thing,” he had told this newspaper last year.