In what could be a setback for India cricket team, Axar Patel has been ruled out of the remainder of the IND vs SA T20I series. The all-rounder, who was a part of the first two T20Is in Cuttack and Mullanpur, did not feature in the playing XI in the 3rd T20I in Dharamsala on Sunday. The Men in Blue have taken a 2-1 lead in the five-match series after bouncing back with a 7-wicket win in the IND vs SA 3rd T20I following a loss in the 2nd T20I.
No more Axar Patel in IND vs SA T20Is
The BCCI in a statement confirmed that Axar had been ruled out of the remainder of the series due to illness. He will be assessed by the medical team in Lucknow. Shahbaz Ahmed has been named his replacement.
“Team India allrounder, Axar Patel has been ruled out of the remaining two IDFC First Bank T20Is against South Africa due to illness. However, he is with the team in Lucknow where he will be further medically assessed. The Men’s Selection Committee has named Shahbaz Ahmed as his replacement for the T20Is in Lucknow and Ahmedabad,” the BCCI said.
In the ongoing IND vs SA T20I series, Axar managed to register scores of 23 and 21 with the bat and registered figures of 2/7 and 1/27 with the ball. He was promoted to number 3 in the 2nd T20I where he failed miserably, with India eventually losing the game by 51 runs. Washington Sundar could act as a potential replacement for Axar in the playing XI.
Meanwhile, Jasprit Bumrah’s availability for the last two games is also uncertain. The pacer missed the 3rd T20I due to personal reasons. The report states that an official statement on whether he will feature in the 4th T20I is awaited.
India squad for IND vs SA T20Is
Suryakumar Yadav (C), Shubman Gill (VC), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Jitesh Sharma (WK), Sanju Samson (WK), Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Washington Sundar, Shahbaz Ahmed
