"Boy, he looked good" - Sanjay Manjrekar reckons Indian all-rounder's versatility could keep Rishabh Pant out of the playing XI in Champions Trophy

Former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar believes that all-rounder Axar Patel's flexibility as a batter could keep Rishabh Pant out of the ODI XI not only in the ongoing series against England, but in the Champions Trophy as well. According to Manjrekar, the southpaw has proved that he can play like a proper batter in the middle overs because he possesses a very good temperament and technique.

Axar was promoted to No. 5 in the first ODI against England in Nagpur on Thursday, February 6. He scored a fluent 52 off 47 balls, hitting six fours and a six. The left-hander featured in a fourth-wicket stand of 108 with Shubman Gill (87 off 96) as India chased down 249 to win the first one-dayer by four wickets.

During a discussion on ESPNcricinfo, Manjrekar praised Axar for his impressive knock. He also made a big observation and claimed that the all-rounder's success could delay Pant's return to the one-day playing XI. He stated:

"Before the match started, there was a suggestion from me that maybe Rishabh Pant could be tried only with the Champions Trophy in mind. Plus, India would have a left-hander in the top six or seven. Axar Patel is a great option to have because this is a guy, we have seen him bat in Test matches for India and he has a batter's temperament."

The 59-year-old described Axar's batting promotion in the Nagpur ODI as a very smart move. He added:

"Boy, he looked good against spinners. India have had a problem in the middle overs where they have struggled to find batters who are competent against spin. Because this Champions Trophy is going to be played in our part of the world, there's going to be a lot of spin impact on the games.

"Axar Patel is a terrific option to have in the middle, thereby perhaps delaying Rishabh Pant's chances of coming back in. Now, they have found a left-hander that they can bat in the middle," Manjrekar concluded.

It needed a brilliant piece of bowling from Adil Rashid to end Axar's stay at the crease in the Nagpur one-dayer. Rashid beat the batter in flight and got one to turn big and hit the stumps through the gate.

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Axar Patel's batting stats for India

While Axar was primarily a left-arm spinner who could bat a little at the start of his international career, his batting has come on in leaps and bounds over the last couple of years.

The 31-year-old has scored 646 runs in 22 Test innings at an average of 35.88, with four half-centuries. In ODIs, he has 620 runs in 40 innings at an average of 20.66 and a strike rate of 94.80, with three half-centuries. In T20Is, the all-rounder has scored 535 runs in 44 innings at a strike rate of nearly 140.