Axar Patel current form: How has he performed in his last 10 matches before 2025 Champions Trophy?
Axar Patel will be a vital cog in Team India's 2025 Champions Trophy campaign, which begins against Bangladesh today, February 20. The 31-year-old is expected to put on a show with both bat and ball. He could be used as a floater in the batting order.
The Delhi Capitals all-rounder was most recently part of the playing XI for all three ODI matches between India and England. Axar's usage as a batter in the middle order caught everyone's eye, with the all-rounder being used at No. 5 ahead of KL Rahul.
In the two matches he batted in that position, Axar scored a half-century (52) in Nagpur while scoring an unbeaten 41 off 43 deliveries. The all-rounder came in at number seven in the third game and only managed 13 runs. With the ball in hand, Axar picked up three wickets in the series, with a best of 2/22 in the series finale in Ahmedabad.
Axar also played in the five-match T20I series against the same opposition from January 22 to February 2. He was part of the XI on all five occasions, scoring 37 runs and taking six wickets throughout the series.
The 31-year-old's last 10 games across formats also include two outings in the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2024-25 for his domestic side Gujarat. He played in the two matches against Haryana and Odisha, picking up a wicket in both outings and scoring 3 and 18, respectively. However, Gujarat crashed out in the quarterfinals of the tournament.
Axar Patel is expected to play a huge role in the Champions Trophy 2025 for Team India
Axar Patel could be one of the players to watch for the Men in Blue. He has often stepped up with bat and ball for Team India, chipping in with vital knocks with the bat and often breaking partnerships at crucial junctures in the game.
The 31-year-old could be promoted to bat up the order, with head coach Gautam Gambhir preferring to have a left and right-hand batting combination in the batting lineup. Axar played a vital knock of 47 runs in the summit clash of the 2024 ICC Men's T20 World Cup, which India won for the second time in the tournament's history.