Former England captain Michael Vaughan dropped a bombshell during the discussion panel. The former international cricketer claimed that because of overthinking, Team India suddenly dropped Axar Patel from the playing XI against South Africa on February 22 for the crucial Super 8 match.
India got a brutal reality check against South Africa as they handed a 76-run defeat at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. For this particular match, India named Washington Sundar in place of Patel, who is also the vice-captain of the side.
Why did Team India remove Axar Patel from the playing XI?
Why was Patel removed to make room for Sundar? So far, there has been no clear answer to it. According to a theory, to counter the left-handed Proteas batters in the middle, the Indian team management chose Sundar over Patel. Though, the stats do not support the theory.
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According to the stats, Axar Patel, who is a spin bowling allrounder like Washington Sundar, was more successful against the left-handed batters in comparison to the right-handed ones.
During the live chat session on Cricbuzz, Michael Vaughan stated that when a backroom contains too many brains, it can be problematic for the team. As long as a team is on a winning streak, no one will ask any questions, but as soon as it loses the momentum, people will definitely point fingers at the decision, which might have caused a defeat. The former England skipper wished to know whose idea it was to bench Axar Patel to play Washington Sundar in such an important game.
Sometimes the brain overcomplicates life: Michael Vaughan
“There are so many in the backroom. There are so many analysts, there are so many scientists, too many brains, and sometimes the brains overcomplicate life. And when you get so many around the table and you’ve been winning, playing well and Axar has been doing great”, Vaughan said.
“I want to know the person who was around that board meeting and went, I think we should play Washington Sundar.”
𝐒𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐫 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐀𝐱𝐚𝐫 🤔
🗣️’Want to know who took that call’@MichaelVaughan doesn’t hold back 👇#T20WorldCup2026 pic.twitter.com/G9ql8tOZ3R
— Cricbuzz (@cricbuzz) February 23, 2026
According to the stats, against the right-handed batter, Patel’s average in T20Is is 17.42 after delivering 488 balls. With an economy rate of 7.21, he picked up 28 wickets.
Against the left-handed batter, the spinner got 8 wickets after delivering only 99 balls with an economy rate of 7.15, and the average reads 16.50.
Axar Patel’s T20Is stats against Right-handed batters and Left-handed batters
Patel’s T20I stats vs Right-handed batters
| Balls | 488 |
| Wickets | 28 |
| Average | 17.42 |
| Strike Rate | 14.5 |
| Economy Rate | 7.21 |
Patel’s T20I stats vs Left-handed batters
| Balls | 99 |
| Wickets | 6 |
| Average | 16.50 |
| Strike Rate | 13.8 |
| Economy Rate | 7.15 |
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