Sunday’s 76-run loss to South Africa in the T20 World Cup Super-8 at Ahmedabad exposed cracks in India’s setup. None more glaring than benching Axar Patel, prompting assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate to unveil the reasoning.
With South Africa’s top order brimming with left-handers like de Kock, Rickelton, and Miller, India banked on Washington Sundar’s off-spin for powerplay impact. Doeschate highlighted stats: Sundar’s 23 powerplay wickets against lefties (57 inns) outpace Axar’s 14 (62 inns).
Axar’s strength lies elsewhere—63 middle-over wickets in 79 games dwarf Sundar’s 23 in 48, plus handy runs down the order. Sundar disappointed: 0/17 in two overs and 11 runs.
South Africa, batting first post-toss, hit 187/7. India’s 111 all out sealed a morale-sapping defeat, clouding semifinal chances.
Ten Doeschate’s transparency spotlights T20 evolution: matchup-specific picks over all-round reliability. As India regroups, Axar’s return looms large in recalibrating for glory.