The series will begin in Kolkata on Wednesday, with Chennai, Rajkot, Pune and Mumbai hosting the remaining T20Is.
In recent months, India have used not only Axar but also Hardik Pandya, Tilak Varma, Nitish Reddy, Washington Sundar and Rinku Singh as floaters with varying levels of success.
“As for batting, it’s not just me, but we talked in 2023-24 that the openers are fixed, but everyone from number 3 to number 7 has been told that they can come into bat at any time and at any time. situation. It’s not like that. Just that a batsman will bat in a particular position,” Axar told reporters on Monday. “Our middle order will come into bat depending on the match situation, what kind of players are playing at that time, what matchup works well.
“We’ve talked about that, how we can all be floaters, whether it’s coming in early or obviously finishing. This isn’t just for me, but for everyone from the 3 spot and down, especially if they’re in good contact on the Nets. We’ll adjust. accordingly. In T20Is, the way you use your batsmen is crucial, so this is an important factor in batting.”
As Suryakumar Yadav’s deputy in T20Is, Axar felt he would have to learn to take tough calls. It’s a topic he’s also discussed with support staff.
“It’s only been one day, but as part of the leadership group there is an additional responsibility,” Axar said. “The T20I side is settled so there is not much pressure but there are small decisions that need to be made and during the game I need to work closely with Suryakumar.
“As part of the leadership group, you have to learn to make tough decisions. We’ve talked about sharing our genuine opinions and that will help build trust in this group.
“The T20I format is so fast-paced that decisions have to be made quickly, so the broader conversations [with the coaches] It’s about how to do that.”
India’s immediate focus is on ODI cricket, with the Champions Trophy just around the corner, but the T20Is will assume greater importance once that tournament ends. Defending champions India and Sri Lanka will co-host the T20 World Cup in February-March 2026. Apart from these five matches against England, India does not have too many T20Is lined up before embarking on the defense of its title: currently, they are scheduled to play three T20Is in Bangladesh in August and five at home against South Africa later this year.
“The World Cup will be held in a year, so we want to try it right now. That’s the main goal,” Axar said. “Momentum is very important because if you start well, you can maintain it. We finished 2024 well, so we want to carry the momentum into this series as well.”
“But we have discussed that the past is over, but we want to move forward with the positive aspects we gained from there. We have taken forward the points that brought us success.”
“Transition is happening in all formats too, but that is a call that the selectors and the captain must accept.”
Sreshth Shah is Deputy Editor at ESPNcricinfo. @sreshthx