Axar Patel Ruled Out, India vs South Africa T20I Series: Indian all-rounder Axar Patel has been ruled out of the remaining two matches of the India vs South Africa T20 series due to illness. Axar did not participate in the third T20 played in Dharamshala, and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) confirmed on Monday, December 15, that he will not play in any further matches of the series.
"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 BCCI said in a statement.
Spin-bowling all-rounder Axar Patel last played in this series in the second T20, where he was promoted to bat at number 3. However, Axar couldn't rescue India in the difficult situation, and the team suffered a 51-run defeat in Mullanpur.
Axar Patel is considered one of India's key players for the 2026 T20 World Cup, which will be jointly hosted by India and Sri Lanka. His illness comes at a crucial time, as the Indian team management is in the process of finalizing the squad for the tournament. However, unless the illness is serious or prolonged, it is unlikely to affect Axar's selection.
Shahbaz Ahmed Will Replace Axar Patel
In place of Axar Patel, Ajit Agarkar and his team have included 31-year-old Shahbaz Ahmed in the squad for the next two matches. Shahbaz, who plays for Bengal in domestic cricket, is a left-arm spinner and batsman. He has so far played 3 ODIs and 2 T20 matches for India. He has scored 3598 runs in 38 first-class matches at an average of 44.73, including two centuries, while in 114 T20 matches, Shahbaz Ahmed has scored 1355 runs at an average of 35.56, with one century and four half-centuries. He also has 125 wickets in first-class cricket and 73 wickets in T20s.
And also talking about India pacer Jasprit Bumrah, who missed the third T20I due to personal reasons, is a part of the squad, and he's likely to make a comeback in the fourth game. Earlier, news agency PTI reported that a close family member of Bumrah's was hospitalised, which was the reason behind his absence from the match.
India’s Squad for Last Two 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.
India currently leads South Africa 2-1 in the five-match T20 series. India won the first match against South Africa by 101 runs, but then suffered a 51-run defeat in the second match. However, India bounced back, winning the third match by 7 wickets. Axar Patel was unavailable for this match as well. India will now play the fourth T20 match against South Africa on Wednesday in Lucknow.
