Just when Team India thought they could field their strongest playing XI in the Australia series, they have suffered a big blow as Axar Patel left for NCA. The southpaw, who suffered an injury on his left quadriceps during India’s Super 4 clash against Bangladesh is also set to miss the first two ODIs against Australia. Rohit Sharma was quizzed during the post-match presentation, and the skipper stated that Axar is likely to be ruled out for 10 days.
“Axar had a small tear. It looks like maybe it will take a week or 10 days (to heal), I don’t know. We have to see how that injury progresses. Some guys recover quickly, and I hope that’s the case with him,” skipper Rohit didn’t seem too confident about the speed of recovery for the Gujarat all-rounder. “I am not sure whether he will be able to play the first two games against Australia at home. But we will wait and see.”
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Axar’s untimely injury has now given Washington Sundar a lifeline. Although the squad for the Australia series is not announced yet, Sundar is likely to be included after playing the Asia Cup Final against Sri Lanka in place of Axar Patel.
Axar Patel: Axar ruled out of the two ODIs against Australia, Sundar set to be included
For the uninitiated, Axar was selected in the Asia Cup and World Cup squad due to his superior batting skills. The all-rounder edged the likes of Yuzvendra Chahal, Ravichandran Ashwin, and Sundar. However, due to his injury, India now are likely to go with Sundar as the option. The southpaw last played ODI against New Zealand in January 2023. Since then all-rounder is and out of the side due to injuries.
If Axar is indeed ruled out for more than 10 days due to injury, then Sundar has a great opportunity to cement his place.
