India's legendary spinner Ravichandran Ashwin couldn't wrap his head around the exclusion of vice-captain Axar Patel from the side that played against South Africa in T20 World Cup 2026 Super 8 clash on February 22. India lost to the Proteas by a massive margin of 76 runs, putting their semifinal chances in jeopardy. While Ashwin understands why Washington Sundar got a place in the playing eleven, he doesn't feel match-ups take the centrestage in T20Is as they do in the Indian Premier League (IPL). He labelled Patel as 'MVP in T20 cricket'.
“I agree that the IPL is good for match-ups, but you have to change the team because you are going to play 14 games. But in such ICC campaigns, the more stable you can keep the team, the better," Ashwin said on his YouTube channel ‘Ash Ki Baat’.
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"I agree 100 per cent that you have to use Washington Sundar against left-handers; you have to play him, I agree with all that. But Axar Patel has been your MVP in T20 cricket. Let's not forget what Axar Patel has done,” he added.
Ashwin recalled how Patel played the aggressive role against South Africa in T20 World Cup 2024 final after India lost early wickets. While Virat Kohli scored a match-winning half-century, Patel set the tone in the middle overs with a 45-run knock. The former off-spinner believes had Patel been there, India would've recovered from early blows and chased down the target of 188.
“In the previous World Cup, in the situation against South Africa, in which India was in the chase, Axar Patel came in under the same circumstances. He stitched a partnership with Virat Kohli, and India crossed 170. Of course, Kohli's experience was there, but Axar is not inferior. If India had a few wickets in hand and stability in the middle overs, they would have chased the target down,” said the 39-year-old.
Sundar promoted to no.5, Patel batted at no.8
Meanwhile, India’s assistant coach explained the rationale behind including Sundar ahead of Patel. The Indian team expected Sundar to bowl to left-handers in the powerplay overs. Since, India got early wickets, Sundar was introduced after the fielding restrictions were lifted. In the run chase, Sundar walked out to bat at no.5 but couldn’t get going.
In the ongoing edition, Patel has been slotted at no.8 and registered two consecutive ducks. Against South Africa, the no.8 role was given to Rinku Singh who arrived at the crease when it was already too late. Rinku departed for a duck as well, leading to a big defeat hampering their net run rate (NRR).