‘If He Is Vice-Captain, Why Isn’t He Playing?’: Aakash Chopra Slams Axar Patel’s Omission

Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra has questioned the Indian team’s playing XI combination following their defeat to South Africa in their Super 8 fixture of the ongoing ICC Men's T20 World Cup on Sunday, pointing in particular to the omission of vice-captain Axar Patel from the lineup.

India opted to field Washington Sundar in the clash against the Proteas, leaving Axar on the bench, a decision that Chopra felt raised serious questions about team clarity.

Chopra said the decision to play Sundar against the Netherlands in India’s last group stage match was understandable, but criticised the reasoning behind Axar’s exclusion against South Africa based on match-ups.

"You made him sit out in the last match. Never mind, as Washi hadn't played for such a long time, and you played him since you were playing against the Netherlands, but you made him sit out against South Africa. You said it's becoming a negative match-up as there are three left-handers in the opposition," he added.

He also drew comparisons with South Africa’s selection approach, noting that their key left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj was retained despite India fielding multiple left-handers in their batting order.

"Two of the three left-handers bat in the top three, and both were out in two overs. We have six left-handers among our eight batters, and South Africa said they would play Keshav Maharaj because he is their main bowler. They said they won't make Keshav sit out because he is important. For you, your vice-captain is not important. How is that okay?" Chopra said.

Meanwhile, former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan expressed disappointment with the performance of mystery spinner Varun Chakaravarthy during India’s first Super 8 fixture in Ahmedabad.

How costly was Varun Chakaravarthy’s spell against South Africa?

Chakaravarthy conceded 47 runs in his four-over spell and picked up just one wicket after being attacked by David Miller and Dewald Brevis in the middle overs.

South Africa ended India’s 12-match unbeaten streak in the tournament with a 76-run defeat on Sunday. Pathan observed that the pitch did not offer much assistance to spinners but highlighted Maharaj’s three-wicket haul as a decisive factor.

"Apart from Bumrah, nothing much stood out in the bowling, except for the new spell bowled by Arshdeep. The most disappointing aspect was Varun Chakaravarthy. When he was attacked, he had no answer, which was somewhat disappointing. Surely, there wasn't much spin in the pitch, but even Maharaj managed to take three wickets. That was some excellent bowling," Irfan Pathan said on his YouTube channel.

He also criticised the final over bowled by Hardik Pandya, stating that the approach against Tristan Stubbs shifted the momentum decisively in South Africa’s favour.

"Towards the end, when the score reached 167 and 19 overs were done, Hardik came to bowl the final over. He bowled to Tristan Stubbs in the way he prefers, slightly short, slightly into the pitch, giving the batsman a chance to open their hands. He did not aim too much at the yorker, and because of that, Tristan Stubbs took advantage and hit runs freely. That completely shifted the momentum back to the dressing room," he added.

(With inputs from ANI)