Indian Axar Patel with captain Suryakumar Yadav (ANI photo)
Former India player Ravichandran Ashwin has questioned the team management’s decision to leave Axar Patel out for the crucial Super 8 match against South Africa in the 2026 T20 World Cup.India chose to stick with Washington Sundar in the playing XI, citing his positive encounter against left-handers. However, this move did not bear fruit. Sundar bowled two runs for 17 runs and failed to make any impact with the bat, scoring 11 runs at number five, ahead of Rinku Singh,
Hardik Pandya
And Shivam Dubey. India suffered a heavy 76-run defeat.
Why is India in deep trouble? T20 World Cup 2026 | India vs South Africa
Speaking on his YouTube channel ‘Ash Ki Baat’, Ashwin said that while match strategies may work in franchise cricket, they are not always suitable for international tournaments, where stability is key.“I agree that the Indian Premier League is good for matches, but you have to change the team because you will play 14 matches. But in these ICC campaigns, the more stable you can keep the team, the better,” Ashwin said.“I agree 100% that you should use Washington Sundar against left-handers, you should play him, I agree with all that.
But Axar Patel has been the best player in T20 cricket. He added: Let us not forget what Axar Patel did.Making a strong case for Axar’s return, Ashwin pointed to the all-rounder’s contribution in the 2024 T20 World Cup final, when India were under pressure in the chase against South Africa.“In the previous World Cup, in the match against South Africa, where India were in the chase, Axar Patel came in the same conditions.
He partnered Virat Kohli, and India passed 170. Of course, Kohli’s experience was there, but Axar is not inferior. “If India had a few more wickets in hand and stability in the middle, they would have chased down the target,” Ashwin said.Axar, who is India’s vice-captain, was first rested in the match against Netherlands and then was overlooked again for the Super 8 match in Ahmedabad. With the defeat leaving India’s semi-final hopes hanging in the balance, the focus will now shift to their next encounter against Zimbabwe at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Thursday.
