The Indian management’s decision to promote Axar Patel to bat at number five in ODIs has turned out to be a masterstroke for him and the team ever since the start of the England series at home last month.

The spin all-rounder played a handy knock of 42 in India's 44-run win over New Zealand during the last group-stage match of the ongoing Champions Trophy on Sunday (March 2).

India will now face Australia in the first semi-final of the competition at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Tuesday (March 4).

Ahead of the knockout fixture, India skipper Rohit Sharma highlighted the improvement shown by Axar Patel as a batter, which makes him a vital cog in the middle-order wheel.

"That is something that we wanted from him – a clear message was given to him when we started the ODI series against England, that no matter what the situation is, you will bat at 5. The kind of improvement he's shown with his bat over the last year or so is superb to watch. That is where we felt that we can utilise him to bat in the middle and bat freely, and that is what he does.

"He likes to take the game on and play his shots. Sometimes, when you are in trouble, you want to always take that positive route. With Axar, we definitely can do that. He showed it in the T20 World Cup final, which was a very, very crucial knock. Again, in that game as well, we were three down and for him to come out and bat like that was superb and got us to a decent total in the end.

"That is what we expect - whenever he's gotten an opportunity, he's shown that he can do just a bit more than what we expect him to do. He's upped his game in terms of his batting. So always nice to have those kind of players in your squad," said Rohit in a press conference on the eve of the semi-final.

India’s top-order was blown by the Kiwi pacers. However, Axar shared a crucial 98-run stand with Shreyas Iyer, who continued his good form with a fine knock of 79. The Men in Blue were also helped by Hardik Pandya's run-a-ball 45, which means that the side's middle order has been in fine nick.

Rohit said the middle-order batters making runs and spinners claiming nine wickets in defence of 250 made it a perfect win for them against the Kiwis. "The middle order is very experienced in terms of the number of games that they've played. But to just get some batting time in the middle and get those runs and that fighting total was very, very important from our standpoint.

"So, all in all, it was the perfect game we wanted. We wanted to try and test everything that we have in terms of our bowling option, the middle order getting to bat long enough, and setting up the target as well. Because the first two games we chased the score.

"But this time, we wanted to try and bat first and see how that turns out for us, because it's important to getting to know what kind of conditions are there when you bat first and when you bat second. I think this game was the perfect game in terms of all of this," he said.

Rohit Sharma acknowledged Australia's strong history in ICC knockouts but emphasized that his team's focus remains on executing their plans effectively. India dominated the group-stage, defeating Bangladesh, Pakistan and New Zealand comprehensively.

"It's a great opposition to play against. All we had to do is what we've been thinking about last three games. So, we have to approach that game in a similar fashion. We understand the opposition and how they play and stuff like that. But I think the more and more we focus on what we need to do as a group, players, batting and bowling unit, that helps us a lot," Rohit remarked.

"Australia have been such a great team over the years. So, we will expect some fight backs. We will expect some nervy times as well in the middle. But that is how the game is being played these days. You're talking about semifinal; obviously, the pressure will be on both teams to win that game.

"But I think it's important for us to just keep focusing on what we need to do, keep doing our things and keep doing those things right, and then result will come if we keep doing the things that we are supposed to.

"In the semi-final, we don't know which pitch is going to be played. Yes, we don't know which pitch is going to be played in the semi-final. But whatever happens, we have to adapt and see what is happening,” he concluded.

(With IANS Inputs)