India to Experiment with Batting Lineup in T20 Series Against England

India's Axar Patel says the team will employ a flexible batting approach in the T20 series against England, with an eye on next year's T20 World Cup defence, which they will co-host with Sri Lanka.

India's all-rounder Axar Patel revealed that the team will employ a flexible middle order strategy during the upcoming five-match T20 series against England. This approach will allow the team to adapt to different situations and opponents. Patel, who has been named vice-captain, emphasized the importance of versatility in the batting lineup.

According to Patel, only the opening duo of Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma can expect to have fixed batting slots. The rest of the middle order will be required to be flexible and adapt to different situations. “...the openers are fixed but everyone from numbers three to seven have been told that they can come into bat anytime, in any situation,” Patel explained.

Patel elaborated on the team's strategy, stating that the middle order will be deployed based on the match situation and the opposing team's bowlers. “Our middle order will come to bat depending on the match situation, what kind of bowlers are bowling at the time, which match-up works well,” he said. This flexible approach will allow India to maximize their batting potential and respond effectively to different challenges.

Patel highlighted the significance of this strategy in T20 Internationals, where batting flexibility is crucial. “We've spoken about that, how we can all be floaters, be it coming in early or obviously finishing,” he said. “In T20 Internationals, how you use your batters is so crucial, so this is an important factor in batting.”

India's batting lineup has undergone significant changes in recent games, with players like Hardik Pandya, Tilak Varma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, and Rinku Singh being shuffled around to optimize their batting positions. This experimentation is part of India's broader strategy to build a formidable team ahead of the upcoming international tournaments.

Although the Champions Trophy remains India's immediate priority, Axar Patel revealed that the team is already focusing on their title defense at next year's T20 World Cup, which they will co-host with Sri Lanka. “The World Cup is coming up in a year, so how we approach leading up to that, we want to try it from now itself. That's the main target,” Axar explained, highlighting the importance of planning and preparation for the marquee event.

India will face England without their pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, but they will be boosted by the return of Mohammed Shami, who is back in the side after a year-long injury layoff. Shami's comeback from an ankle injury will be closely watched, and India will hope he can make an immediate impact and fill the void left by Bumrah's absence.