India have suffered a late setback in their T20I series against South Africa, with spin all-rounder Axar Patel ruled out of the final two matches due to illness. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) confirmed the development on Monday, naming Shahbaz Ahmed as Axar’s replacement for the remainder of the five-match series.
Axar, who had already missed the third T20I in Dharamsala, has travelled with the squad to Lucknow, the venue for the fourth T20I, where he will undergo further medical assessment. “He is with the team in Lucknow and will be further medically assessed,” the BCCI said in an official statement.
India managed Axar’s absence well in the third T20I, bringing in Kuldeep Yadav and Harshit Rana in place of Axar and Jasprit Bumrah, who was unavailable due to personal reasons. The reshuffled combination delivered, as India clinched a convincing seven-wicket victory to take a 2-1 lead in the series.
Shahbaz Ahmed gets another India call-up
Shahbaz Ahmed returns to the national T20I setup after a long gap. The left-arm spin-bowling all-rounder last represented India in the 2023 Asian Games final against Afghanistan in Hangzhou. Overall, he has featured in three ODIs and two T20Is for India so far.
However, Shahbaz’s recent domestic form has been modest. Representing Bengal in the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, he has scored 60 runs in five matches at a strike rate of 133.33, while picking up four wickets at an economy rate of 8.25. Despite the lukewarm numbers, team management will hope his all-round skills and left-arm variety add balance in the decisive stages of the series.
India’s updated squad for last two T20Is
Suryakumar Yadav (capt), Shubman Gill (vice-capt), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Sanju Samson (wk), Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Washington Sundar, Shahbaz Ahmed
With a 2-1 advantage already secured, India will aim to close out the series strongly, while Shahbaz Ahmed gets a timely opportunity to stake his claim ahead of future white-ball assignments.
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