Former Indian cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin questioned Axar Patel’s exclusion from the playing XI in the Super 8 tie against South Africa and reckoned that the team had committed a blunder by leaving him out. Suryakumar Yadav and co. suffered a 76-run defeat at the hands of the Proteas, marking their first loss in T20 World Cup 2026. Despite being a regular in the T20I side, Axar was dropped for Washington Sundar in Ahmedabad on Sunday, a move that perhaps backfired on the hosts.
‘Axar Patel not inferior’
In a video on his YouTube channel, Ashwin pointed out that Axar was India’s most valuable player and that he had rescued the team from dire situations multiple times in the past. He said that while it was 100% right to use Washington to counter left-handed batters, Patel’s contributions in the past simply can’t be forgotten. Ashwin claimed that India could have chased down the target if they had wickets in hand and stability in the middle overs.
“I agree 100% that you have to use Washington Sundar against left-handers; you have to play him, I agree with all that. But Axar Patel has been your MVP in T20 cricket. Let’s not forget what Axar Patel has done. In the previous World Cup, in the situation against South Africa, in which India was in the chase, Axar Patel came in under the same circumstances. He stitched a partnership with Virat Kohli, and India crossed 170. Of course, Kohli’s experience was there, but Axar is not inferior,” Ashwin said.
Meanwhile, India assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate defended the team’s decision to drop Axar for Sundar. He explained that the Tamil Nadu all-rounder was better equipped to deal with left-handers apart from the fact that he could bowl in the powerplay. Sundar was used only for 2 overs in the game against South Africa where he conceded 17 runs. With the bat, he only managed to score 11 runs from 11 deliveries, failing to fire in the middle overs.
