Axar Patel, India’s star all-rounder, is doubtful for Sunday’s Super Four match against Pakistan after suffering a head injury during fielding in the Group A game against Oman in Abu Dhabi.
The incident occurred following a lost opportunity that resulted in Axar Patel hitting the turf and walking off the pitch.
The injury occurred in the 15th over of Oman’s chase, when Hammad Mirza mistimed a shot to mid-off. Axar dashed over, juggled the ball, lost his footing, and struck his head on the ground. The player grasped his head and neck and was led away by the physio, not returning to bowl after one over. T Dilip, India’s fielding coach, attempted to open up about his ailment during the post-match news conference.
“Just now I’ve seen Axar, he looks fine now at this point of time. That’s what I can say about it. Regarding the Pakistan game, everybody are geared up. We treat every game as the same and we know the schedule, how it is panned out. So every game is just another game and we’re ready for it,” said T Dilip
Meanwhile, Axar had contributed well with the bat in Abu Dhabi, arriving at No. 5 to hit 26 off 13 balls, including three fours and a six, helping to accelerate India’s innings. With the ball, he bowled only one over, conceding four. If Axar is not cleared, India faces a selection dilemma. The team has used a three-spinner option in Dubai so far with Kuldeep Yadav among the specialists, but the management rested Varun Chakravarthy for the Oman game when they played an extra seamer.
India riding high on confidence
Furthermore, the defending champions will be delighted with their performance after winning all three of their league games and will hope to carry the same momentum in the Sunday clash. In the 14 games the arch rivals have played, India have come out victorious on 10 occasions, while Pakistan has won only three, with one ending in a tie.
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