NEW DELHI: India’s decision to leave out vice-captain Axar Patel triggered a major selection controversy after a crushing 76-run defeat to South Africa exposed the gamble in their Super 8 clash of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. Assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate admitted the management had spent days debating the combination before opting for Washington Sundar instead — a call that backfired badly as India collapsed to 111 in pursuit of 188. SUBSCRIBE NOW!
The loss marked India’s biggest defeat in T20 World Cup history and ended their remarkable 18-match unbeaten run across ICC white-ball events. But the spotlight quickly shifted from the result to the explosive team selection, with Axar’s omission raising serious questions.
Breaking his silence, ten Doeschate revealed just how agonising the decision had been.
“Yeah, we spent so much time deliberating about the XI, the last couple of days,” he said.
“And I guess the only way that it sort of didn’t play into our hands is if we did have the ideal start like we did today with getting Quinton and Rickelton out so early. ”
He explained that the call was driven purely by tactical considerations, not a reflection of Axar’s value.
“We were kind of looking at matchups more in the middle. And then obviously, someone has to give way. So, do we leave a batter out and get another bowler in? In hindsight, that looks like the right decision.
But playing it forward and making decisions at the time, we felt we needed Rinku as an eighth batsman, so to speak. And the decision was based around there. ”
India ultimately chose Sundar for his powerplay bowling ability and batting flexibility, even though Axar is widely regarded as one of the side’s most dependable all-rounders.
“Certainly, it’s not to take anything away from Axar and his leadership and how important he is to the team,” ten Doeschate stressed.
“We face it almost every week, trying to squeeze 11 places into 15. We’re finding it tricky, and we need to make sure we get that spot on for the next two games. ”
He also dismissed concerns over Sundar’s limited IPL opportunities.
“I don’t think that’s necessarily relevant. We know what Washi’s done while he’s been with India, and we judge him on that,” he said. “A big part of the strategy today was how well he bowled in the power play.
Winning that power play was going to be super important. ”
The assistant coach admitted the plan was built around countering South Africa’s left-hand heavy middle order.
“Given the fact that we thought the majority of the threat was going to come from the left-handers, and we wanted to play the extra batter, it left us with one choice between Washington and Axar, and today we chose to go with Washi.”
He acknowledged the optics looked worse because Sundar didn’t bowl in the powerplay as intended.
“He obviously didn’t bowl in the power play tonight, so it looks like we’ve purely gone on who’s going to bowl through the middle, in which case you would choose Axar. But the strategy was around that.”
Despite the backlash, ten Doeschate expressed hope Axar would understand the decision.
“In a tournament like this, you expect all players to understand that the best intentions are trying to pick the best 11 to win the game, and I hope Axar takes it in the same spirit.”
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