More and more voices are rising against the decision to leave out Axar Patel on the bench for the T20 World Cup 2026 Super 8s match against South Africa on Sunday at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. The team management, headed by coach Gautam Gambhir and captain Suryakumar Yadav, decided to prefer Washington Sundar ahead of Axar, a move heavily dictated by the presence of three left-handers in South Africa’s top five. However, Washington failed to rise to the occasion, giving an underwhelming performance.
Ajinkya Rahane is the latest cricketer to make his displeasure known with the call to drop Axar, saying it made no sense. In the match against the Proteas, Jasprit Bumrah removed both Quinton de Kock and Ryan Rickelton; however, Washington was handled all too easily by David Miller.
Sundar bowled just two overs, conceding 17 runs at 8.5 per over. However, he failed to have any sort of penetration, and he was milked around by both Miller and Dewald Brevis. The ease with which Sundar was played by the Proteas batter didn’t amuse Rahane, and the former Test captain lambasted the management for being “too smart.”
“I’m really surprised that Axar Patel didn’t play. I don’t understand what’s happening. Yes, Washington Sundar is a quality player; nobody is against him. But Axar has been doing so well in different situations. Sometimes I feel that when you become too smart, selection-wise, it can hamper you. You brought Sundar because too many left-handers in the South African lineup, but he only bowled two overs,” Rahane said on Cricbuzz.
“There’s no guarantee that off-spinners will bowl really well against the left-handers. Axar’s record against left-handed batters is really good. We all saw what Keshav Maharaj did. You have to play the quality player in your team who has done so well for you in the past,” he added.
‘He’s the vice-captain’
Making matters worse was the fact that Axar was the designated vice-captain, but he was still made to warm the bench. He was first rested for the game against the Netherlands as Sundar got his first taste of the 2026 T20 World Cup.
One expected the management to bring Axar back in, but that wasn’t the case, and now a heavy 76-run defeat in Ahmedabad has led to Gambhir bearing the brunt of the criticism for leaving out a tried-and-tested performer like Axar.
“When you overthink, I get the match-ups. Axar Patel is a quality player; he has done well for you in the past. He is a quality left-arm spinner with great character. No one is against Washington Sundar, but you have to back your main guy,” said Rahane.
“He’s the vice-captain of the team. Unless he has a niggle, which we don’t know about. If he’s fit, he should be in the XI, any day,” he added.
Given the margin of defeat on Sunday, India’s next game against Zimbabwe is a must-win, and another loss could mark the end of their campaign before the semi-final. The match between India and Zimbabwe will be played on Thursday, February 26, at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.
