Former captain Ajinkya Rahane has expressed his confusion at India's decision to drop Axar Patel following the Men in Blue's loss to South Africa on Sunday. Patel despite being vice captain was left out of the side in favour of Washington Sundar in what was a 76-run defeat at Ahmedabad.
"I'm really surprised that Axar Patel didn't play. Sometimes I feel that when you become too smart, selection-wise, it can hamper you," Rahane said while speaking on Cricbuzz.
"He's the vice-captain of the team. Unless he has a niggle, which we don't know about. If he's fit, he should be in the XI, any day,” he added.
Axar Patel was 'rested' for the dead rubber against the Netherlands in Ahmedabad before being left out of the side against South Africa. Suryakumar Yadav at the toss said that it was an incredibly tough decision. Assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate and Sitanshu Kotak later confirmed that the move was 'tactical' given Proteas' left-handers.
"I don't understand what's happening. Yes, Washington Sundar is a quality player; nobody is against him. But Axar has been doing so well in different situations. You brought Sundar because too many left-handers in the South African lineup, but he only bowled two overs," Rahane added.
Sundar bowled just two overs, after the dismissals of both Quinton de Kock and Ryan Rickelton. David Miller batted with little trouble, top scoring with 63 in a player of the match performance in Motera.
India suffered their worst ever defeat in T20 World Cup history after crashing to a 76-run loss at the in Ahmedabad. The loss leaves India's title defence in a fix, with a spot in the semi-finals not guaranteed even if Surya & Co win their two remaining games.
