March 8, 2025: Ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 final against New Zealand, Team India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir discussed the reasoning behind the strategic reshuffling of the batting order. In particular, Gambhir shed light on Axar Patel’s promotion to number five in the batting lineup and why this position is crucial for the all-rounder to fully showcase his talent and ability.
India will face New Zealand in the highly anticipated final on March 9 at the Dubai International Stadium. India enters the match undefeated, while New Zealand has looked strong throughout the tournament under the leadership of Mitchell Santner. The final is expected to be a thrilling sequel to the 2000 ICC Champions Trophy final, where New Zealand triumphed. For India, this final presents an opportunity to avenge losses to the Black Caps in the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup semifinal and the 2021 ICC World Test Championship final.
Gambhir addressed questions surrounding the team’s batting lineup, particularly the placement of Axar Patel at number five. The decision to send Axar to this position has been met with much discussion, especially given his success in the tournament. In the semi-finals against Australia, Axar’s composed knock of 27 runs off 30 balls, which included a boundary and two sixes, offered much-needed stability in the middle order. Over the course of the tournament, he has amassed 69 runs in two matches, which has been a key factor in India’s strong performance.
Gambhir defended the decision, emphasizing the importance of giving Axar the freedom to express himself at the number five position. “We have answered it before that we don’t care what people say. I think he’s a quality player, and it is important. This is how cricket is meant to be played, and this is how we will play the sport. We know the quality and ability Axar has, and we’re going to keep giving him that opportunity at number five so that he can keep performing and, more importantly, keep expressing and showing his talent to the world,” Gambhir said at the post-match press conference.
In addition to Axar’s promotion, Gambhir also provided clarity on the position of KL Rahul, who has been batting at number six in this tournament. The move to send Rahul lower in the order has raised some eyebrows, but Gambhir explained that it adds depth to the batting lineup and allows India to play the game on their terms.
“In a sport like cricket and in a team sport, numbers don’t matter, batting positions don’t matter, it’s the impact that matters. You should only be thinking of picking yourself in the playing 11 and whatever is needed of you to do it for the team you should be happily doing it, and KL has done that really well at number six as well,” Gambhir explained.
The Indian head coach also added that the team’s strategy goes beyond positions on paper and that the primary focus is on the overall impact players have on the game. “We feel that KL gives us more depth, and that is how we want to play the game. We are not going to talk about batting positions. We’re going to talk about how we can create that impact and what is needed of the team.”
With India ready to face New Zealand in the final, all eyes will be on the performance of key players like Axar Patel and KL Rahul as they look to contribute to India’s pursuit of a Champions Trophy victory.