Axar Patel will sit out India’s final two Twenty20 internationals against South Africa after coming down with illness, with fellow left-arm spinner-all-rounder Shahbaz Ahmed drafted into the squad as cover.
“He [Axar] is with the team in Lucknow, where he will be further medically assessed,” the BCCI confirmed late on Monday.
India had already managed without Axar in Dharamsala, winning that third match by seven wickets after Kuldeep Yadav and debutant quick Harshit Rana filled the two gaps created by Patel’s illness and Jasprit Bumrah’s personal leave. Captain Suryakumar Yadav admitted the shuffle was “less than ideal” but felt the group coped well. “Shahbaz gives us a left-arm spin option and a bit more depth with the bat,” he added.
Axar’s short series was up-and-down. In Cuttack he chipped in with a run-a-ball 23 and a miserly 2 for 7, yet in New Chandigarh he managed 1 for 27 before a scratchy 21 while promoted to No. 3 in a failed chase of 214.
Shahbaz, 31 next month, last played for India in the 2023 Asian Games final in Hangzhou. His domestic form this season has been modest: 60 runs in five Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy matches at 133 and four wickets at 8.25 runs per over. Even so, selectors value his ability to bowl controlled left-arm spin in the powerplay and chip in down the order. Former India spinner Murali Kartik reckons the call-up is still justified. “You want options who understand their role; Shahbaz does, even if the recent numbers aren’t headline-worthy,” Kartik said on Star Sports.
After Tuesday’s fourth T20I in Lucknow, the teams head to Ahmedabad for the series decider. India lead 2-1 and need just one more win to seal the five-match contest.
Updated India squad
Suryakumar Yadav (capt), Shubman Gill (vice-capt), 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
