'I don't understand what is happening' - Vice-captain Axar Patel's absence from Playing XI shocks ex-India captain

Published - 23 Feb 2026, 20:06 IST | Updated - 23 Feb 2026, 22:14 IST

India faced a heart-shattering loss against South Africa in their Super Eights fixture of the T20 World Cup 2026 at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad, on Sunday, February 22. The massive drubbing against the 2024 runner-ups meant that the Indians started their Super Eights campaign on a disappointing note and face heat in their remaining fixtures, with each of the contests acting as a must-win game for them.

Reflecting on the loss, former India Test skipper Ajinkya Rahane blamed the Suryakumar Yadav-led side for going with the wrong combination since vice-captain Axar Patel was benched for the game and Washington Sundar got to play his first game of the ongoing tournament. Rahane has passed on an advise that the Indians should better themselves in taking selection calls.

"I'm really surprised Axar Patel is not playing the match. I don't understand what is happening. Axar has been doing so well for India in different situations. Sometimes when you become too smart, I feel selection-wise that can hamper you," Rahane discussed during an interaction on Cricbuzz.

"You took Washington Sundar because there are too many left-handers in the South Africa team, but he only bowled two overs. And there is no guarantee that an off-spinner is going to bowl really well against left-handers. We saw what Keshav Maharaj did today against all the top left-handed batters," he added.

Notably, Washington bowled only a couple of overs in a game where the Proteas made good use of the conditions in the first innings to set up a total of 187-7. During India's reply, the all-rounder could not make contribute much and departed after a run-a-ball 11, as the Men in Blue eventually fell short by a huge margin of 77 runs.

Now, the Indians will go up against Zimbabwe in a must-win situation at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai, for the upcoming clash on February 26. If the defending champions lose this one, they might have to pack their bags.