Why was Axar Patel left out? Ryan ten Doeschate explains:India coach says Sanju Samson will be a ‘talking point’ in team selection

India’s crushing 76-run loss to South Africa in the Super 8 of the T20 World Cup 2026 at the Narendra Modi Ahmedabad raised questions about team selection and one of them certainly was Axar Patel’s absence. The India vice-captain was left out on 22 February, with Washington Sundar preferred ahead of him. The defeat to South Africa was India’s first in an ICC tournament since the 2023 World Cup final against Australia, which, interestingly, was at the exact venue. India now need to win both their Super 8 matches in a bid to qualify for the semi-finals. Ryan ten Doeschate explains reason behind leaving out Axar Patel Speaking to the media after the match, India assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate explained the rationale that went into preferring Washington over Axar. “A key part of today’s strategy was how well he (Washington) has bowled in the powerplay in T20 cricket,” he said. “The idea was to go in with three frontline bowlers plus Washington, with two others sharing the fifth-bowler’s role. Winning the powerplay was going to be crucial. We had envisaged Washington bowling two overs up front, not necessarily being 30 for 3. That early position then gives you flexibility with the bat as well,” added ten Doeschate at the post-match press conference. He further explained, “In hindsight, you could argue that leaving out a batter and playing an extra frontline bowler looks like the right decision. But, making decisions at that time, we felt we needed Rinku as an eighth batsman.” Ten Doeschate further went on to reiterate Axar’s importance in the squad and said that selecting a playing XI out of the 15 players available was a ‘challenge’ that the team faces ‘every week’. Also read: Washington Sundar’s heated argument with Miller: Bumrah becomes India’s highest wicket-taker in T20 WCs; top moments records “It’s certainly not a reflection on Axar – his leadership and importance to the team are unquestioned. But this is the challenge we face almost every week: fitting 11 players into a squad of 15. It’s not easy, and we have to make sure we get it right for the next two Super Eight games. On balance, given that we expected most of the threat to come from left-handers, and that we wanted the extra batter, it came down to a straight choice between Washington and Axar. And we went with Washington,” he said. ‘Sanju Samson to be talking point over next few days’, says ten Doeschate While responding to a question if the management decided to bring back Sanju Samson to have a right-hander at the top of the order, ten Doeschate said that such a move was discussed. “Yeah, of course we have (on discussion to include Samson). And look, in the five outings we’ve had now, four teams have opened with part-time off-spin and it’s brought a wicket every time, apart from the USA game, where we lost Abhishek without score in any case. So to start every innings nought for one — I think it’s literally been nought or a couple of runs for one every time — is obviously putting pressure on the players,” he said. He further added, “Do you stick with the guys who we feel have performed really well over the last 18 months and who are maybe just short of a few runs now? Or do we twist and bring in Sanju, who’s also a fantastic player and obviously helps tactically by having a right-hander at the top of the order? I’m sure that will be a talking point over the next few days, going into these two very important games.” India’s remaining matches in Super 8 stage India now are in a must-win situation in the Super 8 stage, with two more matches remaining. The Men in Blue will face Zimbabwe on 26 February in Chennai before taking on two-time winners West Indies on 1 March in Kolkata. The 76-run loss has left India with a NRR (Net Run Rate) of -3.800 and the defending champions would want to improve that as well in the upcoming two matches.