Axar Patel Ruled Out of Final Two T20Is vs South Africa, Shahbaz Ahmed Called Up

Overview

• The BCCI confirmed Axar Patel is out of the last two matches due to illness and said he remains with the squad in Lucknow for further medical assessment.
• The Men’s Selection Committee named Shahbaz Ahmed as replacement for the fixtures in Lucknow on December 17 and Ahmedabad on December 19.
• Shahbaz, 31, brings left-arm spin and lower-order batting and has previously played two T20Is and three ODIs for India after strong domestic form.
• India moved 2–1 ahead by winning the third T20I in Dharamsala, where Kuldeep Yadav came into the XI in Axar’s absence.
• The updated squad for the final two games lists Suryakumar Yadav, Shubman Gill, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Washington Sundar, Harshit Rana and Shahbaz Ahmed.