Indian all-rounder Axar Patel has been ruled out of the final ODI against Australia in Rajkot on Wednesday, according to reports. With Axar's injuries keeping him out since the Asia Cup 2023 final, the BCCI has not named any replacement for the dead rubber. Nevertheless, the left-arm spinner is on track to be fit for the 2023 World Cup.
The 29-year-old likely suffered a left quadriceps strain during the Asia Cup 2023 Super 4 game against Bangladesh in Colombo. According to reports, the Gujarat-born cricketer is likely to regain full fitness for the warm-up games, starting on September 30th against England in Guwahati. Their 2nd warm-up match is against the Netherlands on October 3rd in Thiruvananthapuram.
However, this has created a headache for the selectors, given Ravichandran Ashwin's outstanding form in the last two ODIs against Australia. The 37-year-old has used his wily tricks to outsmart the batters, picking up 4 wickets in two matches.
India hold an unassailable 2-0 series lead:
Meanwhile, the Men in Blue, led by KL Rahul, were clinical even on Sunday in Indore as they stormed to a series win. Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer plundered centuries alongside a 200-run stand to lift the hosts to 399 in 50 overs.
In reply, Ashwin was the pick of the bowlers with 3 wickets, while Prasidh Krishna, snared two, including that of Steve Smith for a golden duck to bowl Australia out for 217.
