The Axar Call That Backfired: How India’s Gamble Against South Africa Went Wrong

India went into their biggest match of the Super 8 stage and made one of the most debated selection calls of T20 World Cup 2026 – dropping their own vice-captain. Axar Patel, India’s trusted spin-bowling all-rounder, was left out of the playing XI for the South Africa clash at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday, replaced by Washington Sundar. The decision, driven by specific match-up analysis against South Africa’s left-handed batting lineup, spectacularly backfired as India crashed to a 76-run defeat – their heaviest-ever loss at any T20 World Cup.

The morning after, assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate and batting coach Sitanshu Kotak stepped up to explain what went through the management’s thinking and, crucially, how Axar was handled.

How Gambhir and Surya Told Axar

The optics of leaving out your vice-captain in a do-or-die Super 8 game were always going to demand careful handling. Batting coach Sitanshu Kotak confirmed that Axar was not left to read his name off a team sheet – the management went directly to him with a proper explanation.

“Look, Surya and Gautam both spoke to Axar about the decision to drop him. The reason to play Washy was that they had three left-handers in the top five – Quinton de Kock, Ryan Rickelton and David Miller – and hence there was a feeling that an off-spinner should play,” Kotak explained at the ICC Mixed Zone, adding emphatically that benching Axar was absolutely not a vote of no-confidence.

“Axar has played so much cricket that his confidence won’t be dented because of this move. And as I said, coach and captain must have clearly told him as to why they took such a call,” he said.

Suryakumar Yadav himself admitted at the toss that it was a tough call. “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 told the presenter, a rare public acknowledgment from an Indian captain that a selection decision came at a personal cost.

The Logic Behind Sundar’s Inclusion

Ten Doeschate took the reporters through the selection meeting process in considerable detail during his post-match press conference.

“Yeah, we spent so much time deliberating about the eleven over the last couple of days. We were kind of looking at match-ups more in the middle. In hindsight, it looks like the right decision to play Axar, but at the time we felt we needed Rinku as an eighth batter. The decision was based around that,” he said.

The specific bowling plan for Sundar was clearly defined before the game. “A big part of the strategy today was how well he bowled in the T20Is when he bowled in the Powerplay. Winning that powerplay was going to be super important. We envisaged him bowling two overs in the powerplay, not knowing South Africa were going to be 30 for three,” ten Doeschate explained.

The logic had merit on paper:

  • South Africa’s top three of Reeza Hendricks, de Kock and Rickelton are all left-handers.

  • Sundar, a right-arm off-spinner, turns the ball away from left-handers – making him naturally harder to attack.

  • Axar, a left-arm spinner, turns the ball into left-handers – easier to target.

The plan would have worked beautifully – except Jasprit Bumrah had other ideas, dismissing both de Kock and Rickelton in a devastating opening spell that left South Africa 30/3. With the left-handers gone, Sundar’s primary purpose evaporated almost immediately, limiting him to just two overs. “Now both de Kock and Rickelton were dismissed by Bumrah and hence Washy wasn’t required to bowl more than two overs in the game,” Kotak acknowledged.

Sundar’s Flop Show Piles On the Pressure

Washington Sundar, introduced in the seventh over, conceded 11 runs off his first over as David Miller and Dewald Brevis found him easy to play on the good Ahmedabad batting surface. He bowled again in the 14th over, going for six runs – and was then shelved for the rest of the innings, finishing with 2-0-17-0. The match-up it was built around had evaporated, and Sundar had nothing else to offer on the day.

With the bat, Sundar came in at No. 5 ahead of Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh and Shivam Dube but could only manage 11 runs as India collapsed to 111 all out in 18.4 overs. Marco Jansen (4/22) and Keshav Maharaj (3/24) ran through India’s batting with clinical precision as South Africa skittled the defending champions for their lowest T20 World Cup total in years.

Former pacer Varun Aaron was among those questioning the tactical execution. He specifically asked why Sundar wasn’t given more overs even in the second half of the innings, suggesting that once the original plan failed, India’s captaincy had no Plan B with the spinner.

Bigger Questions About Team Selection Authority

India’s call to drop Axar reignited a broader debate – this is now the second consecutive T20 World Cup where a T20I vice-captain has been benched in a high-stakes game. Earlier in the tournament, Shubman Gill, who holds the vice-captaincy in the 50-over format, was also managed carefully around squad selection. When ten Doeschate was pushed on whether there is a pattern of sending vice-captains messages that their place is not guaranteed, the Dutchman was measured but firm.

“It is not as straightforward as that,” he replied. “When you can only choose one of the two (between Axar and Washington), we thought someone who can bowl in the Powerplay was important. Axar only occasionally bowls in the powerplay, but we felt that we have got Washy to a point where he’s found a way of being effective there.”

The harder question beneath the surface is about decision-making authority within this coaching setup. Multiple former players and pundits pointed out that Gautam Gambhir appears to be the dominant voice in tactical calls, and Sunday’s selection suggested a high-risk, high-reward approach that did not factor in adequately what would happen when the match situation changed. Ten Doeschate candidly admitted that India had “messed up on a grand scale” and that adjustments are needed immediately.

India’s Back Against The Wall

The defeat has dramatically reshaped India’s semi-final picture. With the 76-run loss dragging their net run rate down, India must not only win both remaining Super 8 games against Zimbabwe and West Indies, but ideally win them convincingly. A close win may not be enough if South Africa continue to accumulate large margins.

Axar Patel is virtually certain to return for the Zimbabwe match in Chennai on Thursday. His left-arm spin, batting reliability at No. 5 and experience of big-match situations represent exactly what India lacked in Ahmedabad. The question is whether his brief absence – and the public manner in which it was handled – has created any lingering awkwardness inside the dressing room.

Batting coach Kotak is emphatic it hasn’t. “Axar has played so much cricket that his confidence won’t be dented,” he insisted. If Axar responds with a match-winning performance against Zimbabwe, that statement will age beautifully. If he doesn’t, the scrutiny on India’s management will intensify even further at a tournament they arrived determined to defend.