'People have to change their personal thinking' - Axar Patel discards spoken English as a captaincy skill

Star India all-rounder Axar Patel believes that the responsibility of captaining a side, be it in international cricket or in the IPL, should not come with the burden of limitations of the language(s) one speaks. Being the full-time skipper for the first-time, Axar enjoyed a decent run with the Delhi Capitals in the 2025 season of the IPL, as the franchise finished fifth on the table, narrowly missing out on a playoffs' spot.

The Gujarat all-rounder wants the public to change their opinion on speaking English being a prerequisite to captain a team. According to him, the real work of the captain is to understand the players and their strengths. He also has to ensure that the team benefits the best out of the situation that he utilizes a player in, keeping in account the weak points of the players as well.

“People start saying ‘oh he is not a captaincy material, he doesn’t speak English. How will he talk? Yeh hai, voh hai’ (This and that). Arre! Captain’s work is not to just talk. Captain’s work is to know the player and see how to get the best out of him. What’s his strength, what’s his weakness. Captain knows that I have this player and what I need to do to get work out of him (kaise kaam nikalwaana hai). And in game situations, who to give the ball now,” Axar Patel told the Indian Express.

“But yeah, if we say ‘personality’ chahiye, acha English bolna chahiye – that’s a perception made by the public based on their own thinking. I captained Delhi Capitals this year and got a lot of praise. I think more of this happens, more will change in the coming time. It’s important that people have to change their personal thinking. Stop thinking ‘oh his personality is good, he can speak English – so he is captain material’. One thing about captaincy is there should be no language barrier,” he added.

Axar was appointed as the vice-captain of India's T20I side briefly before being removed from the position ahead of the 2025 Asia Cup. He currently plays all three formats for the Indian team, and offers dynamic roles with his all-round prowess. The experienced cricketer is also a part of India's squad for the upcoming Test series against South Africa. It will be interesting to see if he gets a chance in the Playing XI, with Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, and Washington Sundar giving a tough competition for spinner's role.