With less than 48 hours to prepare for the match against Pakistan, Axar Patel‘s fitness remains a concern. T Dilip confirmed in the post-match press conference that Axar Patel appears to be fine following his earlier injury scare.
“Just now I’ve seen Axar, he looks fine now at this point of time. That’s what I can say about it,” said T Dilip in the post-match press conference.
The left-handed all-rounder Axar Patel had a good outing with the bat against Oman, scoring 26 off 13 balls, while he bowled only one over in the innings, conceding four runs, with India employing eight bowlers on their way to a 21-run win.
If Axar doesn’t get the green light for the mega clash, they might have to change the team combination and include a pacer in the line-up, which can harm the depth they bank on in their batting line-up. However Former Indian test batter Abhinav Mukund gave his insights on what can happen if Axar Patel does not appear in a crucial match vs Pakistan.
Abhinav Mukund believes that Axar Patel if not playing due to the injury scare might disturb the Playing XI combination for India
Indian team fielding coach T Dilip has assured that Axar Patel is ‘fine’ after banging his head onto the field while trying to take a catch, but the immediate impact that the injury produced, making Axar Patel leave the field and not come back, might put him in doubt for Sunday’s big clash against arch-rivals Pakistan.
Sprinting in from mid-off to take a skier from wicketkeeper Hammad Mirza in the 15th over of Oman’s chase, Axar Patel juggled the catch and spilt it, losing his balance and crashing headfirst onto the field. Axar Patel was spotted holding his head and neck as the physio escorted him off the field and he didn’t take any further part in Oman’s chase. Axar Patel bowled just a single over, giving away four runs, as India rotated eight bowlers en route to a 21-run victory over Oman.
While India’s fielding coach Dilip described Axar Patel as ‘fine’ at the post-match press conference, the quick turnaround between matches could pose a challenge. India have under two days to gear up for their clash against arch-rivals Pakistan in Dubai.
Axar Patel was one of multiple Indian batters who enjoyed a solid stint at the crease against Oman. Batting at No. 5, Axar Patel smashed a 13-ball 26, fueling a brisk 45-run fourth-wicket partnership with Sanju Samson, who led the scoring with 56 in India’s 188/8.
The Indian bowling attack, without ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah and Varun Chakravarthy, did not look exceptional but just about kept Oman at bay during the final overs. With both expected to return vs Pakistan, there was an uncertainity over Axar’s availibility for the Super 4s clash.Speaking on the same, Former Indian batter Abhinav Mukund on ESPNCricinfo’s post-match show said :
“ I really hope for India’s sake that nothing serious happens with Axar Patel. Looks like the nasty fall when he missed that catch on the head, so let’s hope there’s nothing wrong with Axar Patel because Axar is a very pivotal player in terms of the combination that India are choosing to play. So, if Axar doesn’t play, he’s out injured, then the entire combination goes for a toss.
“So, let’s hope that there’s nothing serious with him, but other than that, I won’t read too much into this bowling effort [against Oman] at all. I just thought that India was trying a few things. Oman batted well, and I don’t think India will come up with the same sort of bowling performance come Sunday.” he continued.
“When you’re talking fluidity, I think there are certain batters who are very good at particular positions, and for that, there are certain batters who bat really well in the powerplay. Some bat really well in the middle overs, and then some are very good finishers. So, you can’t put all of them under the same cloud, say 3,4,5,6,7,” Mukund added.
Abhinav Mukund further lauded India’s flexible batting approach and the use of Axar Patel ahaead of Shivam Dube in he ongoing Asia Cup 2025. The cricketer-turned-broadcaster wants the Men in Blue to stick to use left-right combinations. He said in the same video :
“I think India have a very fixed plan of frontloading with Suryakumar and Tilak Varma and then maybe they think of Axar Patel next instead of a Shivam Dube. So, because they believe that Axar will do the job for them in the middle overs, and then maybe we have the backup of Shivam Dube if required, along with Hardik Pandya.
So, I have a feeling they have two people for one spot, and they are planning to rotate around this, but as far as fluidity goes, I don’t think it’s the same thing.”
Ahead of the Asia Cup 2025 Super 4 matches, Abhinav Mukund believes that the team management will utilize Sanju Samson similarly to Axar Patel based on game scenarios. He concluded :
“Let’s say India lose four inside the powerplay, I don’t think Shivam Dube is going to walk out. Or, I don’t think Sanju Samson is not going to come in. I feel they will still send Sanju Samson, and only try Shivam Dube or somebody else after that.”
India will kick off their Super Four campaign facing Pakistan for the second time in the tournament, after suffering a heavy 7-wicket defeat in their group-stage encounter. Axar Patel delivered a standout performance with the ball when India were up against Pakistan in group stage match. He claimed 2 wickets for just 18 runs in his 4-over spell, including key dismissals of Fakhar Zaman and Salman Agha.
If Axar misses the Pakistan clash, India might be forced to abandon the three-spinner strategy they have relied on in all their Dubai matches, unless a replacement is brought in. Washington Sundar is one spin-bowling all-rounder that India named in the standby list for the tournament. Varun Chakravarthy, who was rested against Oman as India opted for an extra pacer and Kuldeep Yadav are the side’s two specialist spinners.
India defeated Oman in their final group stage fixture and topped Group A. The Men in Blue handed their opponents a 21-run defeat to continue their unbeaten run in the competition heading into the Super 4 stage. They will now be facing Pakistan for the second time in the ongoing edition of the continental tournament.
The Men in Blue had emerged victorious in the first meeting of the two teams and had done so in comprehensive fashion. Suryakumar Yadav & Co. had handed Pakistan a one-sided 7-wicket defeat to once again assert their dominance in the rivalry.
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