Axar Patel was benched for Super 8s match against South Africa, with India choosing Sundar over him.
Former India cricketer R. Ashwin slammed the Indian team management for not picking Axar Patel over Washington Sundar in the Indian XI for the important Super 8s game against South Africa that was played on February 22 in Ahmedabad.
India suffered a huge 76-run loss to the Proteas. South Africa had made 187/7, with David Miller scoring a brilliant fifty and Dewald Brevis and Tristan Stubbs providing good support. Marco Jansen took four wickets as India was bowled out for 111 runs, with Shivam Dube scoring 42 runs.
The talking point of this match was India’s decision to continue with Washington Sundar in the XI, in place of vice-captain Axar Patel. This was the second game; Axar was benched, as he was not part of the game against the Netherlands as well, which was played at the same venue in Ahmedabad.
However, the 26-year-old Sundar wasn't able to do anything substantial in the game, conceding 17 runs in the two overs he bowled. He was all the more disappointing with the bat, scoring just 11 runs despite coming at No. 5, ahead of Rinku Singh, Hardik Pandya, and Shivam Dube.
According to Ashwin's analysis of the game, matchup chitchat can be helpful when talking about the Indian Premier League (IPL), but it is not relevant in international cricket, where each team should strive for stability and a solid starting lineup.
He also labelled Axar as the true MVP of the Indian team in T20Is, saying one shouldn't forget what he has done for the side against all odds.
“I agree that the IPL is good for matchups, but you have to change the team because you are going to play 14 games. But in such ICC campaigns, the more stable you can keep the team, the better. I agree 100 percent that you have to use Washington Sundar against left-handers; you have to play him. I agree with all that. But Axar Patel has been your MVP in T20 cricket. Let's not forget what Axar Patel has done,” Ashwin stated on his YouTube show, ‘Ash ki Baat.'
Ashwin backed Axar to be included in India XI and said that the southpaw, in addition to playing a pivotal innings in the T20 World Cup 2024 final, was the one who formed an important relationship with Virat Kohli and assumed the role of the more aggressive batter.
“In the previous World Cup, in the situation against South Africa, in which India was in the chase, Axar Patel came in under the same circumstances. He stitched a partnership with Virat Kohli, and India crossed 170. Of course, Kohli's experience was there, but Axar is not inferior. If India had a few wickets in hand and stability in the middle overs, they would have chased the target down,” said Ashwin.
India's path to the semi-final has grown more difficult following the defeat on Sunday. On Thursday, the team will play Zimbabwe in Chennai's MA Chidambaram Stadium.