IND vs SA T20Is: Shahbaz Ahmed replaces injured Axar Patel
What's the story
Indian all-rounder Axar Patel has been ruled out of the remaining two T20Is against South Africa due to illness. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) confirmed the news on Monday, saying that Patel is currently with the Indian team in Lucknow where he will be further medically assessed. Left-arm spin-bowling all-rounder Shahbaz Ahmed has been named as his replacement for the matches in Lucknow and Ahmedabad.
Match impact
Patel's absence in the 3rd T20I
Patel's absence was already felt in the third T20I match on Sunday, where India's bowlers excelled and restricted South Africa to just 117 runs. The Indian team is currently leading the five-match series 2-1. Patel has scored 44 runs and taken three wickets in two matches so far. Meanwhile, Jasprit Bumrah also missed out on the third match due to personal reasons but had picked two wickets in the first T20I.
Information
Shahbaz has played five matches for India
Shahbaz has played three ODIs and a couple of T20Is for India with his last appearance coming in October 2023. Coming to his T20 numbers, the all-rounder owns 73 wickets from 114 games at an economy of 7.87. The tally includes 1,355 runs at 25.56 (SR: 135.77).
Team composition
India's updated squad for final two T20Is
India's squad for final two T20Is vs SA: Suryakumar Yadav (c), Shubman Gill (vc), 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, and Shahbaz Ahmed. The changes come as India look to maintain their lead in the series against South Africa.