Indian all-rounder Axar Patel has called for a change in mindset regarding the perception of leadership in cricket. He believes that a player’s ability to lead – whether in international cricket or the IPL – should not be judged by the language they speak.
Speaking to The Indian Express ahead of India’s first Test against South Africa, the Gujarat cricketer challenged long-standing notion that only those who are fluent in English or possess a certain style or demeanor are considered “captaincy material.” Axar emphasized that communication and leadership come from clarity of thought and intent, not language proficiency.
“People start saying ‘oh he is not a captaincy material, he doesn’t speak English. How will he talk? Yeh hai, voh hai’. Arre! Captain’s work is not to just talk,” Axar told Indian Express. “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.”
“If we say ‘personality chahiye, acha English bolna chahiye’ – that’s a perception made by the public based on their own thinking,” he explained. “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.”
“It’s all about what you see and what the media is showing. How active you are on social media. How you talk. People judge you on all that,” he said. “Everyone likes to give opinions these days – he is capable, he is not capable, make him captain, don’t make him captain.”
Leading a team full-time for the first time, Axar Patel had a respectable outing as captain of Delhi Capitals during IPL 2025 season. Under his leadership, the franchise finished fifth on the points table, falling just short of a playoff berth.
Reflecting on his captaincy journey, Axar shared that his approach focuses on finding the right balance between keeping the team environment relaxed and maintaining discipline and professionalism on and off the field.
“I want to keep the team environment friendly and lively, but no one should take things for granted,” he said. “There’s a line – what needs to be done to win the game needs to be done first. Then we should have fun. It’s working at the moment. I believe that if you’re having fun, you do better.”
