Former India batter Mohammad Kaif reckons Axar Patel is owed an “rationalization” after the T20I vice-captaincy was snatched from him and given to Shubman Gill for the upcoming eight-team Asia Cup. The All India Males’s Senior Choice Committee on Tuesday unveiled the 15-member squad for the event, starting September 9. Axar, who was the vice-captain for India’s final T20I project—the five-match collection in opposition to England earlier this 12 months—is now not Suryakumar Yadav’s deputy, because the all-important place has now been given to Gill.
Gill, who’s the Take a look at captain, makes his technique to India’s T20I setup after greater than a 12 months. He final performed a T20I in 2024 in opposition to Sri Lanka. Nonetheless, he was by no means dropped from the workforce as he was rested to maintain him match for the Take a look at and ODI assignments.
It have to be talked about that Gill was the vice-captain within the collection in opposition to Sri Lanka final 12 months, and Axar was solely elevated to this function within the 25-year-old’s absence.
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Nonetheless, Kaif believes Axar has performed no improper and deserves to know what actually occurred to his management function. He additionally hopes that the selectors and Axar communicated concerning the vice-captaincy being taken away.
“I hope Axar Patel was knowledgeable about his elimination from vice-captaincy prematurely, and he did not come to find out about it from the press convention. Axar did no improper, so he deserves a proof,” Kaif wrote on X (previously Twitter).
Axar Patel has performed 71 T20Is, scoring 535 runs and taking 71 wickets. The left-handed batter is the captain of the Delhi Capitals within the Indian Premier League (IPL). Nonetheless, beneath his management, the franchise did not make the playoffs this 12 months.
Aakash Chopra sympathises with Axar
Former India opening batter Aakash Chopra additionally sympathised with Axar, saying it’s a bit unlucky that the all-rounder misplaced his vice-captaincy to Gill.
In a video posted on his X account, Chopra stated, “I additionally really feel that it was somewhat unfair to Axar that he’s abruptly not the vice-captain any extra. However that’s my opinion. Group seems to be high-quality although.”
The selectors left Shreyas Iyer and Yashasvi Jaiswal out of the Asia Cup squad. The latter made it to the reserves checklist. Nonetheless, Shreyas wasn’t that fortunate.
Jasprit Bumrah can also be again in India’s squad, whereas Sanju Samson and Jitesh Sharma are the 2 frontline wicket-keepers within the squad. Gill is all set to open the batting alongside Abhishek Sharma. What occurs to Sanju Samson, solely time will inform.
