Sipu Jha
India captain Suryakumar Yadav revealed that the team went with the same playing XI for the Super 8 game against South Africa on Sunday, which meant vice-captain Axar Patel was left out again, with Washington Sundar keeping his spot. After losing the toss, Surya admitted he wanted to bat first but accepted the toss result, calling Axar’s omission a tough call.
“I was actually looking to bat first, but it’s okay, and we’re happy to bowl first. It’s very harsh on Axar Patel, but we’re going with the same team – just a tactical decision, so no changes from the last game,” he said at the toss. The decision sparked strong reactions on social media, with many fans questioning Axar’s exclusion.“Can someone tell me, why Axar Patel is dropped with his OG T2OI performances?” One fan wrote on X.“I have another question, can somebody tell me why Washington Sundar is not bowling to David Miller, if he was selected over Axar with lefties excuse?Does anything make sense under Gambhir?”Similar sentiments among fans over the Axar Patel omission call followed.In the match, South Africa had a shaky start after opting to bat. Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh struck early, reducing them to 20/3 in just four overs. However, David Miller and Dewald Brevis staged a strong comeback, attacking India’s bowlers and shifting the momentum.Miller took on Varun Chakravarthy and Arshdeep Singh with powerful boundaries, while Brevis joined in with aggressive shots against Washington Sundar and others. The pair added quick runs and pushed the scoring rate up, helping South Africa recover to 84/3 at the halfway stage. Nevertheless, South Africa posted a strong total of 187/7 in their 20 overs after choosing to bat against India. After losing early wickets, Miller (63 off 35) and Brevis (45 off 29) led a crucial recovery, while Stubbs (44* off 24) provided a late surge. Bumrah was the standout bowler with 3/15, supported by Arshdeep’s 2/28, but India still face a challenging chase.
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