Axar Patel has been ruled out of the final two T20Is against South Africa due to illness.
What has proven to be misfortune for Axar has turned into an opportunity for Shahbaz Ahmed. The Indian team management has confirmed that Axar will miss the remainder of the ongoing T20I series against the Proteas, with Shahbaz called up as his replacement.
The BCCI confirmed on Monday that the spin-bowling all-rounder will not be available for the last two matches of the series against South Africa.
Axar featured in the first two games of the series. In the opening match, he made a significant impact by scoring 23 off 21 balls and picking up two wickets with his left-arm spin, playing a key role in India’s victory.
In the second T20I, Axar claimed one wicket while conceding 27 runs. Batting at No. 3 during the chase of 214, he scored 21 off 21 balls, but India went on to lose the match by 51 runs.
The 31-year-old did not take part in Sunday’s T20I, and he has now officially been ruled out of the remaining two games of the series.
Shahbaz Ahmed has so far played three ODIs and two T20Is for India. His most recent ODI appearance came in December 2022 against Bangladesh in Mirpur, while his two T20I outings were during the Asian Games in October 2023.
After a gap of two years, Shahbaz is now on the brink of returning to international cricket. In recognized T20 cricket, he has scored 1,355 runs in 114 matches at a strike rate of 135.77, including one century and four half-centuries. With the ball, the left-arm spinner has taken 73 wickets in this format.
After three matches of the five-game series, India hold a 2-1 lead. The fourth T20I will be played in Lucknow on Wednesday, while the fifth and final match is scheduled for Friday in Ahmedabad.
India squad for the final two T20Is against South Africa
Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Shubman Gill (vice-captain), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Jitesh Sharma (wicketkeeper), Sanju Samson (wicketkeeper), Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Washington Sundar and Shahbaz Ahmed.
