Indian All-rounder Axed Halfway Through South Africa Series

India is already doing well in the series against South Africa, having a 2-1 lead with them. But now, the team has shockingly made a forced change for the last two T20I games. Axar Patel, India's spin all-rounder, has been ruled out of the series due to illness.

The South Africa tour of India has been mesmerizing for the Indian fans only in the limited overs matches. Already winning the ODI series, India is now preparing to win the T20I series too, which is in their favour at 2-1. The fourth T20I will be taking place tomorrow, as India prepares to get a series win. 

But just a few days before the fourth T20I, India has made a change in their line-up. Axar Patel, who played in the first three games, has now been ruled out of the team. Due to an illness, he won't be playing for India in the last two games, as.

1. Axar Out, Shahbaz In

Axar Patel played an important role for the Indian team in the first three games of the series. With his unavailability for the last two games, . But this also comes in as a bright opportunity for Shahbaz Ahmed to prove his worth to the Indian team and make his way to the T20 World Cup.

In the first T20I, Axar Patel scored 23 runs off 21 balls, and even took 2 wickets, which included the scalps of Anrich Nortje and Aiden Markram. Following this, he played the second T20I, where he took the wicket of Dewald Brevis and scored 21 runs off 21 balls. When Axar Patel didn't play the third T20I, fans thought he could be back for the fourth.

But now it has been revealed that . This means he will be next available for the team in the series against New Zealand, which will take place in January. Now, with India just one win away from the series win, it remains to be seen what changes will be made to the squad.

2. Shahbaz Ahmed’s International Career

If you don't know, Shahbaz Ahmed has already played for the Indian team across two formats. He has been a part of the team in three ODIs and two T20Is, but it has been time since his last international appearance. Shahbaz last played in the Indian jersey during the Asian Games, which took place in 2023.

Pic Source: ESPNcricinfo

He played his debut game for India in the ODI format, which was also against South Africa in 2022. His first wicket came in the same match, where he dismissed Jannemann Malan, and bowled a 10 over spell with an economy of just 5.40 runs per over. After that, Shahbaz played just two more ODIs for the Indian team.

Shahbaz Ahmed in T20Is:

• Innings: 2
• Overs: 5.2
• Maidens: 0
• Wickets: 2
• Average: 20.50
• Economy: 7.68

Following this, he also played for India in the Men's Asian Games which took place in 2023. However, it should be noted that he played just two games throughout the tournament, including the finals. In the final match also, he took the wicket of Karim Janat, who is now a main player of the Afghanistan team.

3. Shahbaz’s Consistency in SMAT

Shahbaz Ahmed has been keen to get his place in the Indian team, with his performances in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. And his performances eventually paved the way for him to get his way to the line-up, and now he waits for a comeback. He played just five games for the team in the recent edition of the tournament, and has .

His best came in the match against Himachal Pradesh, where he took 3 wickets and conceded 36 runs in his spell. Shahbaz Ahmed took the much needed wickets of Innesh Mahajan, Pukhraj Mann, and Mridul Sarroch. In a match where all the bowlers went above 10 in economy rates, .

Not only did he show his performances with the bowl, Shahbaz Ahmed also dominated with the bat in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. In the match against Baroda, he first bowled a spell of 4 overs, conceding 26 runs and taking a wicket. Later with the bat, he finished the game for the team, scoring 38 runs off 21 balls.