India all-rounder and vice-captain Axar Patel shared his thoughts on the ongoing controversy regarding the support staff, which emerged after the disappointing Border-Gavaskar series. Reports indicated that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) was dissatisfied with the support staff’s inability to address key issues, prompting them to bring in Sitanshu Kotak as an additional batting coach for the upcoming home T20I series against England.
Axar Patel, however, emphasized that there were no concerns with the support staff when it came to the white-ball format. He clarified that, while he couldn’t speak to what had transpired in Australia during the Border-Gavaskar series, the BCCI’s bold decisions reflected their efforts to make necessary changes.
“I wasn’t part of the team for the last three months, so I’m not fully aware of what went on in Australia. However, the support staff is the same here, and we’ve had discussions about our approach for upcoming matches,” Axar Patel shared during the pre-match press conference (via RevSportz).
“We seek input from the batting or bowling coaches whenever needed. In T20Is, where the game moves quickly, we make sure to discuss key decisions on the spot. We focus on clarifying our roles, whether it’s mine or anyone else’s,” he added (via InsideSport).
On the batting lineup, Axar said: “Our openers are settled, but for positions 3 to 7, we’ve been instructed to stay flexible. Depending on the situation and matchups, any player can be called upon at any time—whether it’s as a floater or a finisher. There are no fixed spots for anyone in that middle order.”
For the upcoming series, Axar has been named Suryakumar Yadav‘s deputy. He has also served as vice-captain for Delhi Capitals (DC) in recent seasons, even leading the team in a match against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) during the 2024 season while Rishabh Pant was serving a ban for a slow over-rate.
Addressing his role as vice-captain, Axar mentioned: “Being vice-captain brings extra responsibility. Sometimes, tough decisions need to be made, and giving honest feedback is part of that. This has been the kind of discussion we’ve had with players like Suryakumar Yadav and Gautam Gambhir.”