The selectors have chosen Shubman Gill as India’s vice-captain for the Asia Cup. As I have argued before, Gill is a very good player and a deserving candidate. He was the vice-captain when he was last part of the T20 set-up, and they have given the responsibility back to him with the Asia Cup and World Cup on the horizon.
In doing so, Axar Patel, who was doing the job for a while, has been ignored. That’s where the question crops up – have we given Axar his due and have we celebrated his contributions enough? Also, has the decision to give the job back to Gill put any additional pressure on Axar and his place in the team?
Take the 2024 T20 World Cup final. We celebrate Virat Kohli’s effort in the final, and justly so. We celebrate Suryakumar Yadav’s sensational catch and Hardik Pandya’s bowling effort. But the real clincher in the final was Axar’s 31-ball 47. India were off to a very poor start with Rohit Sharma and Rishabh Pant dismissed early, and even Surya failed to get going. Kohli was struggling initially, and it was Axar who turned the game on its head with his innings of 47, studded with four sixes. And yet, it isn’t often mentioned, much like Gautam Gambhir’s 97 in the 2011 World Cup final had lost out to MS Dhoni’s match-winning effort.
