The Axar conundrum —to be or not to be Premium

The Axar conundrum —to be or not to be

There was a phase in the 1980s when the vice-captaincy of the Australian Test side was the least coveted position. Technically, the vice-captain is a bit of a ceremonial appointment until the designated leader is ruled out due to injury. In so many ways, the deputy is the conduit between the captain and the boys, the via medium that is a seasoned player but is still approachable for the young guns who might harbour inhibitions about going straight to the skipper for one reason or the other.

Andrew Hilditch, Ray Bright and David Hookes were all vice-captains who lost their places in the Test squad not too long into their roles. Things came to such a pass that the vice-captaincy was looked at askance; players were happy not to be considered for that position, though clearly, things have come a long way since then.

It would seem as if the vice-captaincy of the Indian Twenty20 International side currently mirrors what used to be in Australia some four decades ago. Towards the middle of last year, India’s selectors pulled Shubman Gill out of 20-over hibernation and appointed him Suryakumar Yadav’s deputy. The then 25-year-old hadn’t featured in a T20I for more than 13 months but taken in by his glorious run in England last summer when he amassed 754 runs in his first Test series as captain and perhaps looking at him as a future all-format skipper, they brought him back into the mix for the T20 Asia Cup in the UAE, ostensibly waiting for the ongoing World Cup to end before naming him Suryakumar’s replacement in the hot seat.

That experiment went horribly wrong. Gill couldn’t slot back into the T20 squad with any degree of comfort or consistency. The rejig that his return to the top of the order necessitated eventually cost Sanju Samson his place in the XI, while Gill himself floundered and stuttered. Fifteen innings between September and December yielded two 40s and a third knock in the 30s, but his inconsistencies and the inability to adhere to the team plans that revolved around making the most of the PowerPlay compelled the decision-makers to, belatedly, beat a hasty retreat and dump him from their World Cup plans.

The double-edged vice-captaincy sword was then passed on to Axar Patel, who had performed that role previously too. Axar has been around for a long time, is well-liked and, beneath that gentle exterior, possesses an astute cricket brain and a steely resolve that has helped him tide over many a crisis. His captaincy chops have been honed at Delhi Capitals, whom he has led with aplomb if not the greatest success, while his uncomplicated approach to batting and bowling, allied with his deceptive and underrated fielding, make him a dream pick in any T20 team.

Axar is a no-fuss individual with a ready smile, willing and able to perform any task he is asked to undertake. Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid used him as a floater at the corresponding tournament in 2024, and Axar’s value with the bat manifested itself gloriously in the final when he was pushed up to No. 5 to partner Virat Kohli after India lost Rohit, Rishabh Pant and Suryakumar with not many on the board.