Mohammad Kaif, who had previously played as an Indian cricketer, said he was not happy with the decision made by the team management to replace Axar Patel in the match on the Super Eight of the T20 World Cup 2026 against South Africa in India on February 22. When captain Suryakumar Yadav threw the toss, he justified that he had to select Washington Sundar instead of the left-arm spinner because of the strategy.
Nevertheless, the reasoning behind the move did not make sense to Kaif. He asserted that it was not the right strategy to omit Axar since South Africa had a few left-handers as hitters. Though it is agreeable that Sundar, being an off-spinner, could have been chosen to play only favorable matches, Mohammad Kaif wondered whether this could be the sole reason why Axar was not included in the team. He further observed that India became T20 world cup champions in 2024 with no frontline off spinner in the playing XI.
“All great captains like MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma aimed to form one playing XI that covered all the bases. It wasn’t like our left-arm spinner won’t play because there are many lefties in the opposition team. This shows that you are lacking in preparation. Who were the off-spinners in our team when we won the T20 World Cup in 2024? There was no Washington Sundar or R Ashwin,” said Kaif on YouTube.
The 45-year-old emphasized that Axar has repeatedly shown himself in ICC competitions by providing powerful performances, particularly in knockout games. Axar has 14 runs and three wickets in three appearances at the T20 World Cup 2026.
“Axar was the Player of the Match against England in the semifinal. He dismissed Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler, and Moeen Ali. Moeen Ali was a lefty. How did he get out to him then? Sir, aise nahi hota. Keshav Maharaj took wickets. When you play someone and give him confidence by backing him, he can do anything,” said Kaif.
“Axar Patel is a proven match-winner in ICC events. According to me, he should have been the Player of the Match in the T20 World Cup 2024 final for his cameo. Virat Kohli’s strike rate was 128, and Axar Patel’s strike rate was 150. He hit four sixes in that match. You have won the semifinal and final because of him, but you brushed him aside,” he added.
The cricketer-turned-commentator believes that India should include Axar Patel in the starting XI regardless of how many left-handed batters the opponent has. He also stated that the choice to leave Axar out indicated that the team administration may have panicked ahead of the key match.
“Make him play so that he improves against left-handers. He can surely do it. I was surprised by the last-minute call. It showed that we were in panic. They were normal despite losing the final against us, but we were panicking and making changes,” said Kaif.
