Axar Patel Says Rohit and Virat’s Presence Eases India’s Transition Phase

Axar Patel believes that the presence of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli will ease the transition process in the Indian team. He made the remarks while talking to reporters in Perth. Currently, the men in blue are training in Australia to prepare for the upcoming ODI series. Both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are part of the series, but the leadership position has been given to Shubman Gill.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has taken this decision to solidify the role of captaincy. They are trying to build a solid team for the 2027 ODI World Cup, in which the participation of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli is uncertain.

The Indian spinner, Axar Patel, has lauded the experience of both batting maestros. He has said that their presence in the squad will make things easy for Shubman Gill.

"This is a great experience for Shubman, too. Rohit bhai and Virat bhai and everyone are here. This is part of the transition process," said Axar Patel while talking to reporters in Australia.

He described that having seniors in the side always helps youngsters to learn more about the game. It lets them know how to play at the international level, where the level of competition is very high.

"You have older players, and if the young players come with their experience, then they can learn from the seniors and understand how to play at this level, what they can do and what they can't do,” said Axar Patel.

He further said that both Rohit and Virat will help Shubman to grow as a captain, as he is still quite young at the international level compared to them.

"It's perfect that Rohit bhai and Virat bhai are here, and Shubman is doing the captaincy. It will help in Shubman's growth as a captain. It's good if young and experienced play together," said Axar Patel.

Speaking about the current form of both players, Axar Patel said that they have come to Australia on the back of strong preparation at home. Due to this, he thinks they are ready to go in the series as soon as it starts.

"If you look at their form, the way the two of them have prepared, they trained at the BCCI Centre of Excellence and also played practice games. I think they are ready performance-wise. They look in good touch in the training sessions. And if you talk about their physical fitness, of course everyone has passed their fitness tests. I think they are ready to go,” said Axar Patel.

The Indian spinner then talked about his own form and preparation for the series. He said that he is feeling confident about the upcoming matches, and the recently concluded Asia Cup has also boosted his confidence.

"I am very confident about this series. In the Asia Cup, I did well with bat and ball. I am ready for the challenge,” said Axar Patel.

The ODI series between India and Australia is slated to start from October 19 and will run until October 25. It would be a power-packed series as Australia has also picked a strong lineup that could beat India comprehensively in all the upcoming matches.