India Always Had Superstars - Axar Patel Made Them World Champions

India stormed through the 2023 ODI World Cup like an invincible force, dismantling every opponent in their path. They looked unstoppable—until they ran into Australia in the final. On the biggest stage, their invincibility was shattered, and everyone saw a major flaw in their playing combination.

A six-wicket drubbing exposed the one flaw they couldn’t hide when it mattered most: the absence of a dynamic left-hander in the middle order who could also contribute with the ball. In a tournament where they seemed to have all the answers, that missing piece proved that India were still one step—one player—away from becoming a perfect white-ball unit.

Then came Axar Patel, and in less than ten months, India have two ICC titles to their name.

The spin-bowling all-rounder from Nadiad (Gujarat) was India’s biggest unsung hero of the 2024 T20 World Cup in the USA and the West Indies. Axar finished as India’s seventh-highest run-getter and fifth-highest wicket-taker, but the numbers alone don’t tell the full story.

The left-hander batted in four different positions during the tournament. He made a handy 20 off 18 on an extremely difficult New York surface before delivering a game-changing 47 off 31 in the final against South Africa in Barbados. His 3/23 in the semi-final also played a crucial role in knocking out defending champions England.

Former Indian head coach Rahul Dravid and his management team used Axar at No.5 in the final, and current coach Gautam Gambhir took it a step further, making him India’s permanent No.5 in ODIs—despite KL Rahul averaging 56.48 at that position. And it all started after India lost an ODI series in Sri Lanka last year.

In the same series, Axar walked out to bat at No.5 in the second ODI and responded with a run-a-ball 44 on a spin-friendly Colombo surface. That was Gambhir’s first ODI series as coach, and when the time came for the 2025 Champions Trophy, the team management made it clear: India would have a left-hander at No.5 to break the line of right-handers.

Axar batted at No.5 in the first two ODIs of the three-match series against England before the Champions Trophy, scoring 52 off 47 and 41* off 43. While Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma stole the limelight with their big scores, Axar’s contributions didn’t go unnoticed, as India successfully chased down two challenging totals.

When the selectors announced the squad for the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy, many questioned India’s decision to include five spinners, considering all their fixtures were in Dubai. Captain Rohit Sharma more or less confirmed before the tournament that India would play three all-rounders, including Hardik Pandya, which meant Axar was set to play a crucial role.

The Men in Blue didn’t really need his services in their first two matches against Bangladesh and Pakistan, winning both games comfortably, but even then, he had a valuable contribution, like the almost hat-trick against Bangladesh. But then came the final group-stage match against New Zealand, a team with a bowling attack capable of troubling India in these conditions. Reduced to 30/3 inside seven overs, India found themselves in early trouble.

That’s when Axar joined hands with Shreyas Iyer to put together a crucial 98-run partnership for the fifth wicket. The 31-year-old crafted a composed 42 off 61 balls, helping India reach 249—a total that ultimately proved more than enough.

Then came the all-important semi-final against Australia, a team India had struggled to beat in ICC knockout matches for years.

Chasing 265, India found themselves in a tricky situation when Iyer departed, with score reading 134. With 131 runs still needed at just under six runs per over, India needed Kohli to anchor the chase. Axar stepped in and played a vital cameo, scoring 27 off 30 balls. He dominated the 44-run stand with Kohli, ensuring India stayed in control against their toughest opponents.

The final against New Zealand on March 9 (Sunday) followed a similar script. After restricting the Black Caps to 251, India’s openers, Rohit and Gill, put on 105 runs for the first wicket. However, both fell in quick succession, followed by Kohli, leaving India at 122/3. Another wicket at that stage could have put India under serious pressure, but Axar and Iyer ensured stability.

The duo added 61 runs for the fourth wicket, with Axar scoring a composed 29 off 40 balls. While he couldn’t convert it into a big score, his knock was crucial in preventing Santner and Co. from running through India’s middle order. India eventually won the match by four wickets, lifting yet another ICC trophy in less than 10 months.

Overall, Axar scored 109 runs in five games at an average of 27.25 and a strike rate of 74.14. These aren’t world-class numbers, but anyone who followed the tournament closely would understand how important those 109 runs were. Add five wickets at an economy of 4.35, and you have a perfect game-changer.

His presence in the middle order not only gave India batting depth but also allowed smart and powerful finishers like Rahul and Pandya to slot in at Nos. 6 and 7. With Ravindra Jadeja at No.8, India had enough all-round depth, meaning their top-order batters didn’t have to play too cautiously or score big in every match.

“I think the depth in our batting makes it easier for the top order. We can play more freely because we have so much depth. Earlier, there wasn’t enough batting depth, so there was more pressure on the batsmen to bat long,” said Indian vice-captain Gill.

Axar now has nine innings at No.5 in ODIs, scoring 283 runs at an average of 35.38 and a strike rate of 88.2. More importantly, he has failed with the bat only twice in those nine games. In ODIs, Axar averages 46.71 and strikes at 92.11 against spin in middle-overs (11-40). No other Indian batter has been that good against spin in the middle phase since the last World Cup. And all this without even diving into his bowling numbers—72 wickets at an economy of 4.49 in 68 ODIs.

We often speak of Pandya as India’s X-factor in ICC events, but Axar has quietly proven he is just as vital. Without him, India might still be searching for an ICC trophy since 2013. While others took the spotlight, Axar did the heavy lifting in the shadows—breaking partnerships, steadying chases, and turning games in India’s favour.