The Indian team is currently facing difficulties due to a series of injuries to its players just before the T20 World Cup, and now a new name has been added to that list. Indian T20 team vice-captain Axar Patel has joined the list of injured players. He sustained an injury while bowling during the first T20 match being played in Nagpur. It appears that Axar Patel will now miss at least two T20 matches.
The series being played between India and New Zealand is a five-match T20 series. The first match was played in Nagpur, and the second match is scheduled to be played in Raipur on January 23rd. However, it’s worth noting that the 15-member Indian team announced for this T20 series is the same team that will be playing in the World Cup. In other words, the team announced for the World Cup was also selected as the T20 team. However, two players have already been ruled out of the first three T20 matches and the series. Tilak Varma is out of the first three T20 matches, and Shreyas Iyer has been included in the team in his place.
Washington Sundar is out of the entire series, and Ravi Bishnoi has been included in the team as his replacement. It is now believed that if these two players remain injured, then Iyer and Bishnoi will replace them in the World Cup squad. Meanwhile, during the first T20 match, Axar Patel, who had taken the wicket of Glenn Phillips, who was batting brilliantly against the Indian team, attempted to catch a ball hit by Daryl Mitchell while bowling. It was the third ball of his over, and Mitchell played a shot where Axar tried to stop the ball, and in the process, he got injured. Blood started oozing from the index finger of his bowling arm. He then left the field, and Ravi Bishnoi came onto the field to field in his place. However, Axar did not return to bowl, and Abhishek Sharma completed his unfinished over.
In short, you can say that Axar Patel’s injury is not good news for Team India at all, because as a spin all-rounder and vice-captain, he provides balance to the team and his ability to bat anywhere in the order makes his place in the team secure. Therefore, Axar Patel’s injury is definitely a setback for Team India.
However, there is no news yet of Axar Patel being ruled out of the series, but he is being monitored because the injury is to his index finger, which is used extensively while bowling. Therefore, it won’t be easy for him to return immediately. Given the short gap between the first and second T20 matches, the Indian team management is unlikely to take any risks. So, the chances of Axar Patel playing in the second and third T20 matches are very low, and another player might be brought into the team as a replacement.
So, it seems that it might be difficult for Axar Patel to play until he recovers. But who will be his replacement? That’s going to be very interesting.
