India captain Rohit Sharma explained that he wants to maintain the left-right combination, which is why Axar Patel batted before KL Rahul during the 249-run chase in the first ODI against England at VCA Stadium in Nagpur. Both Rohit and Axar revealed that everything was pre-planned after India's four-wicket win against England.
KL Rahul usually bats at number five for India in ODIs, but in the first clash against England, the Indian team management sent Axar after the third wicket fell, which turned out to be a masterstroke.
After India's four-wicket win, Rohit explained why he promoted Axar Patel's batting order in the first ODI against England.
"We wanted a leftie in the middle. It is as simple as that. We know they will spin it back into the left-handers, so we wanted a leftie. Gill and Axar batted brilliantly out in the middle. Nothing specific," Rohit said.
"Axar, over the years now we've seen how improved he is as a cricketer, especially with his bat and we got to see that again today. We were slightly under pressure at that point we needed a partnership and Gill and Axar batted well," Rohit added.
Coming back to the first ODI, vice-captain Shubman Gill (87), Shreyas Iyer (59) and Axar (52) helped India to chase 249 runs in first ODI after Harshit Rana (3/53 from 7 overs) and veteran spinner Ravindra Jadeja's (3/26 from 9) helped India to bundle out the visitors for a below-par 248. Gill was awarded Player of the Match for his 87 off 96 run knock after India lost two wickets in six overs.
Team India are currently leading 1-0 against England in a three match ODI series and the second match will take place on February 9 in Cuttack. After finishing the white ball series against England, The Men in Blue will travel to Dubai for the Champions Trophy 2025 which is scheduled to start from February 19.