Axar: 'It's perfect that Rohit and Virat are here to help with the transition'
"It will help in Shubman's growth as a captain. It's good if young and experienced play together"
Tristan Lavalette
17-Oct-2025 • 3 hrs ago
The symbolism was striking. During India's main training session ahead of the first ODI against Australia, Virat Kohli was having a typically intense hit with Rohit Sharma to his left in the next net at Optus Stadium.
Shortly after, India's last two Test and ODI skippers were joined in the nets by their successor Shubman Gill, who started preparation ahead of his ODI captaincy debut as a new era begins.
Having set such a commanding tone launching his Test captaincy against England, where he finished as the highest run-scorer with 754 runs at an average of 75.40, Gill has suddenly become the face of Indian cricket.
Although his predecessors, especially Kohli, still hog most of the attention publicly as gleaned by a strong Perth media presence and smattering of fans around Optus Stadium following their every move.
It could be viewed as an awkward balancing act amid a transition for this India team after Kohli and Rohit dominated the leadership over the past decade, a particularly fruitful period across formats.
But their presence will undoubtedly deflect some spotlight off Gill, who can ease into the role with the support of his sage team-mates as India make their first steps towards the 2027 World Cup.
"This is a great experience for Shubman too. Rohit bhai and Virat bhai and everyone is here, this is part of the transition process," left-arm spinning allrounder Axar Patel told reporters in Perth.
"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.
"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."
While typically steely in the nets, Kohli has been notably jovial during the first couple of days of the Australian white-ball tour.
After his 40-minute net session on Friday, Kohli clearly enjoyed himself bantering with several team-mates leading to much laughter all around. India's training sessions have had a relaxed vibe around them, perhaps a sign of things to come in this new era.
But much focus of this three-match ODI series will be on the performances of Rohit and Kohli, almost certainly their farewell on Australian soil, at the top of the order.
"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," Axar said.
"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."
The series is a chance for Gill, 26, to start moulding a XI in a bid to put his stamp on the ODI team. Axar, 31, looms as an intriguing player, whose versatility makes him so appealing in the shorter formats.
Having been picked ahead of Ravindra Jadeja for this tour, there will be pressure on Axar who is set to bat at No.5 and will be India's leading allrounder with Hardik Pandya on the sidelines due to injury.
"I am very confident about this series," Axar, who last played in Australia during the 2022 T20 World Cup, said. "In the Asia Cup, I did well with bat and ball. I am ready for the challenge.
"If you look at my growth - I came here in 2015 for the first time during the World Cup - I have been with the Indian team regularly in recent years.
"I know what I have to do. The team relies on me now - 'it's Axar, he can get us the results'. If you perform continuously, you get the confidence too.
"I am more confident now and I know and I can do my bit to win games for my team."
Tristan Lavalette is a journalist based in Perth