Ahmedabad

Veteran Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin criticised India’s playing XI combination, questioning the decision to leave out Axar Patel for the Super 8 clash against South Africa in the ongoing ICC Men's T20 World Cup.

Speaking on his YouTube channel Ash ki Baat, Ashwin recalled Axar Patel’s crucial role in India’s title-winning campaign at the 2024 T20 World Cup, particularly his match-winning partnership with Virat Kohli in the final against South Africa.

India opted to play Washington Sundar in the Super 8 encounter, benching vice-captain Axar Patel. The move backfired as South Africa snapped India’s 12-match unbeaten streak in the tournament, handing the defending champions a 76-run defeat at Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday.

Sundar failed to make an impact with either bat or ball, conceding 17 runs in his two overs and scoring just 11 runs despite batting at No. 5, ahead of Rinku Singh, Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube.

“This was a similar situation to the last T20 World Cup final. Axar came in, batted with Virat and stitched a crucial partnership. Virat’s experience mattered, but Axar was no less important. If India had stability after ten overs with wickets in hand, the chase could have been possible,” Ashwin said.

The defeat marked India’s second-heaviest loss by runs in T20 Internationals, behind the 80-run defeat against New Zealand in Wellington in 2019, and their biggest margin of defeat in T20 World Cup history.

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Following the loss, India’s path to the semi-finals has become tougher. The Men in Blue must now win their remaining two Super 8 matches with a strong net run rate to keep alive their hopes of defending the T20 World Cup title.