India Setback before the end of five T20I games South Africawith all-rounders Axar Patel Missed the remaining two games due to illness. BCCI confirmed that a domestic left-arm spin all-rounder has been selected as a replacement for the fourth T20I in Lucknow and the final of the series in Ahmedabad.

In Axar Patel’s absence, India loses key all-round option

The BCCI said Axar remains with the team in Lucknow, where he will undergo further medical evaluation despite missing the last two matches. The 30-year-old has missed the third T20I in Dharamshala and despite his absence, India have won the seven-match series to take a 2-1 lead in the series.

Axar’s performance in the first two games was mixed: he contributed 23 for 21 in Cuttack and 2 for 7 in Cuttack, then 1 for 27 in three overs, hitting 21 runs in the failed 3rd experiment in Chandigarh’s 214-run chase. His exit comes with Spearhead’s temporary absence Jasprit BumrahMissed the game in Dharamshala due to personal reasons, forcing the Indian team to rely on Kuldeep Yadav and Harshit Ranaboth performed brilliantly in the third T20I win.​

With Axar’s ability to bowl in the powerplay, control the midfield and run at pace, the Indian team has lost an important balance just months before finalizing plans for the 2026 T20 World Cup. The remaining two matches in Lucknow and Ahmedabad are played at larger venues with traditional spinners being responsive, ideal conditions for Axar’s defensive control and batting depth for No. 7.

Equivalent replacement for Axar Patel

In Al-Aqsa’s absence, Shahbaz AhmedThe recall gives India a similar all-round option in left-arm spin bowling, even if he remains on the fringes of the international system. The 30-year-old has previously represented India in three ODIs and two T20Is, with his last appearance coming in the gold medal match of the India Championship. 2023 Asian Games Opposition in Hangzhou Afghanistan.​

Shahbaz’s recent domestic performance Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy Bengal have scored 60 runs in five innings with a strike rate of just over 130 and four wickets with an economy rate above eight, underlining that this call-up is more about role fit and team continuity than current numbers. At the wider T20 level, his record of 1,355 runs in 114 games, with an average in the mid-20s and a strike rate in the 130s, plus 70-plus wickets at under 8 per game, reflects a versatile all-rounder with the ability to control matches and score crucial runs.

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India lead 2-1 in Lucknow and Ahmedabad and will now assess whether Shahbaz goes straight into the XI as the third spin option alongside Kuldeep and possibly as a part-time spinner. With South Africa needing wins in the remaining two games to win the series, Shahbaz’s addition not only covers Axar’s role but also provides the team management with another data point while fine-tuning the line-up of spin bowling all-rounders for future white-ball duties.

India’s squad for last two T20Is

Suryakumar Yadav (Captain), Shubman Gill (Vice-captain), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Jitesh Sharma (week), Sanju Samson (week), Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Washington Sundar, Shahbaz Ahmed.

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