India have reportedly suffered a setback in the ongoing five-match T20 series against South Africa, with veteran all-rounder Axar Patel ruled out of the final two matches. Notably, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is yet to announce his replacement for the remaining matches of the T20 series on home soil.
India won the series opener but lost the second match, leaving the five-match T20 contest in Dharamsala a draw. Patel missed the third game on Sunday, December 14; However, India produced an all-round performance to clinch the win and take the lead in the ongoing series.
Axar Patel ruled out of remaining five-match T20 series against South Africa
According to the report of Sports Tak, Akshar Patel has been ruled out of the remaining matches of the ongoing five-match T20 series against South Africa. This development came a few days before the fourth T20 match. BCCI has not yet announced who will replace him in the team.
There is some uncertainty regarding Jasprit Bumrah also. He returned home on 14 December due to personal reasons and the board has not yet confirmed whether he will be available for the next match.
The fourth T20 match of the series will be played on Wednesday, December 17 at Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow. A win in the upcoming match will help the home team win the series before the final game.
Axar Patel’s impact and India’s replacement options against South Africa
Akshar Patel made a strong start to the T20 series against South Africa by making a significant contribution in the opening match. He bowled tightly and took two wickets for just seven runs and bowled out South Africa for 74 runs. India won the match by 101 runs.
He produced another all-round effort in the second T20I. Akshar bowled three overs, gave 27 runs and took one wicket. During the chase, Axar Patel was promoted to No. 3 and played a quickfire 21 off 21 balls.
With Axar now unavailable, India has not yet named a replacement. Washington Sundar is one of the options in the team, although he does not bowl left-arm spin. The team management will be hopeful that Axar will recover in time for the white-ball series against New Zealand starting on January 11.
India takes 2-1 lead with easy win in Dharamshala
South Africa struggled with the bat on a surface that was providing a lot of support to the bowlers. India’s pace and spin attack worked together to create pressure right from the start. They lost four wickets for 30 runs and were never able to form any partnership.
Wickets were distributed among the bowling unit. Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakraborty and Kuldeep Yadav took two wickets each, while Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dubey also contributed with the ball. South Africa was out for just 117 runs.
In reply, Abhishek Sharma attacked the bowlers during the powerplay, scoring runs freely and removing any early pressure. Although the middle order did not score at a rapid pace, a solid start meant that the target was never in danger. India completed the chase with 25 balls remaining.
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