India’s campaign for the ongoing five-match T20I series against South Africa has been affected after reports emerged that all-rounder Axar Patel is set to miss out on the rest of the tournament due to illness. The development comes after Men in Blue took a 2-1 lead following a clinical victory in the third T20I.
Axar was ruled out of the third T20I against South Africa in Dharamsala due to illness, allowing Kuldeep Yadav to step into the playing XI. Reports from Sports Tak suggest the all-rounder will also miss the remaining matches of the series. The team has yet to name a replacement for the left-arm spinning all-rounder. The hosts, however, bounced back strongly in the third T20I after a heavy defeat in the second, sealing a seven-wicket win.
The 31-year-old featured in India’s preparations for the first two T20Is of the series in Cuttack and Mullanpur, where he made useful all-round contributions. With the bat, he scored 23 and 21 in the first two games, while with the ball, he returned figures of 2/7 in the opener and 1/27 in the second. His impact in the first T20I was instrumental in bowling South Africa out for just 74, leading India to a commanding 101-run victory.
India yet to name Axar’s replacement
The 214-run chase in the second T20I saw him promoted to No. 3 in the batting order. However, the move didn’t work out as he could only manage 21 runs off 21 balls, and India ended up losing by 51 runs. In his absence in the third T20I, India brought in Kuldeep. The left-arm wrist spinner partnered with Varun Chakaravarthy as India bowled effectively to restrict South Africa before comfortably completing the chase.
With Axar ruled out of the remaining T20Is, Washington Sundar is being considered as a potential replacement within the current squad. However, Sundar isn’t a like-for-like option. There’s also growing concern over Jasprit Bumrah’s availability. The pacer missed the third T20I due to personal reasons, and no official update has been given yet on whether he will return for the fourth game.
