Axar Patel’s match-winning allround show in the first ODI against England at Birmingham on Tuesday may have been worth far more than his unbeaten 57 and figures of 4/62. It reinforced the team management’s long-term plans of making him India’s lead spinner for the 2027 ODI World Cup in South Africa.The last eight months have been turbulent for Axar in T20 cricket. In March, he was dropped for a World Cup match against South Africa in Ahmedabad despite being vice-captain and despite having spent over two years establishing himself as an indispensable part of India’s whiteball setup. During that period, he even edged ahead of Ravindra Jadeja in the pecking order and played a key role in India’s victorious 2024 T20 World Cup campaign.While his T20 form has fluctuated, India’s ODI plans remain firmly tied to him. TOI understands that the selectors are reluctant to revisit Jadeja as a first-choice option in the format. With limited spin-bowling allrounders available and Kuldeep Yadav offering little batting depth, the management wants a spinner capable of batting in the top seven while allowing the side to field a pace-heavy attack suited to South African conditions.“Jadeja’s bowling in white-ball cricket hasn’t been up to the mark for some time. He played in the ICC Champions Trophy in March 2025 because India expected turning pitches in Dubai. His power-hitting too isn’t at the level it was during the 2019 World Cup,” a BCCI source told TOI.“The team management will largely need one lead spinner in the XI in South Africa. If Washington Sundar plays, it will be a bonus. That’s why Axar’s form is so critical. Harsh Dubey is being groomed as his backup,” the source added. Axar’s resurgence in Birmingham followed a period of introspection. The left-hander admitted he had struggled in recent months after trying too hard to force the pace during T20 innings.“It was very important for me to deliver this kind of performance. I had to stay focused rather than thinking it would just happen on its own. I felt I was trying to hit the ball too hard during the T20Is,” Axar told the broadcaster after the match. “When you go in to bat in the death overs, you don’t have any other option but to go for big shots, but I was losing my shape a little. In this game, after we got a great start, I just wanted to build a partnership,” he added.Axar has spent much of his career in Jadeja’s shadow. Being left out in Ahmedabad earlier this year could not have been easy. Yet performances like the one in Birmingham strengthen his claim to a role that now comes with greater clarity and responsibility. For India, the road to the 2027 World Cup may well hinge on whether Axar can make that transition from dependable support act to leading man.
