Axar PatelThe match-winning all-round performance in the first ODI against England in Birmingham on Tuesday may be worth much more than his unbeaten 57 and figures of 4/62. It reinforced the team management’s long-term plans to make him India’s main spinner for the 2027 ODI World Cup in South Africa.The last eight months have been turbulent for Axar in T20 cricket. In March, he was dropped for a World Cup match against South Africa in Ahmedabad despite being vice-captain and despite spending more than two years establishing himself as an indispensable part of India’s white-ball set-up. During this period, I also progressed Ravindra Jadeja in the pecking order and played a key role in India’s victorious T20 World Cup 2024 campaign.While his T20 form has fluctuated, India’s ODI plans remain firmly linked to him. TOI understands that the selectors are reluctant to revisit Jadeja as a first choice in the format. With spin-bowling limited all rounds available and Kuldeep Yadav offering little batting depth, the management wants a spinner capable of batting in the top seven while allowing the side to field a heavy pace attack suited to South African conditions.“Jadeja’s bowling in white-ball cricket has not been up to the mark for some time. He played in the ICC Champions Trophy in March 2025 because India expected to return to Dubai. His power also is not at the level it was during the 2019 World Cup,” a BCCI source told TOI.“The team management will largely need a top spinner in the XI in South Africa. If Washington Sundar plays, it will be a bonus. That is why Axar’s form is so critical. Harsh Dubey has been groomed as his backup,” the source added. Axar’s resurgence in Birmingham followed a period of introspection. The left-hander admitted he had struggled in recent months after trying too hard to force the pace during T20 innings.“It was very important for me to deliver this kind of performance. I had to stay focused rather than thinking that it will just happen on its own. I felt that I was trying to hit the ball too hard during the T20Is,” Axar told the broadcaster after the match. “When you go to bat in the death overs, you have no other option but to go for big shots, but I lost my form a bit. In this game, after having a great start, I just wanted to build a partnership,” he added.Axar has spent much of his career in Jadeja’s shadow. Being left out in Ahmedabad earlier this year couldn’t have been easy. However, performances like Birmingham’s strengthen their claim to a role that now comes with greater clarity and responsibility. For India, the road to the 2027 World Cup may depend on whether Axar can make that transition from reliable support act to leading man.