India batting coach Sitanshu Kotak revealed that captain Suryakumar Yadav and head coach Gautam Gambhir spoke to Axar Patel ahead of the Super Eight clash against South Africa to explain the decision to leave him out of the playing XI.
Washington Sundar was picked in place of the experienced all-rounder for the game at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
India suffered a 76-run defeat to South Africa, but Kotak insisted that Axar’s confidence would not be affected by the selection call.
“See, obviously, Surya and Gautam both spoke to him. Which is obvious, whether we say it or not,” Kotak said after the match. “We thought that an off-spinner was needed because three left-handers up front. We got the wickets in the beginning. Washington didn’t bowl in the Powerplay.
“But, actually, he was supposed to bowl in a Powerplay. So, that can change according to the match. For that reason, this combination was decided. And the rest – what you are saying about confidence – Axar is such a player; he has played so much and performed so much, he doesn’t lack confidence. It was very clear from him, and from the head coach and the captain, what we are thinking and why we are doing this.”
Kotak explained that the team management opted for an off-spinner considering South Africa’s left-handed options at the top of the order, though the bowling plans evolved as the match progressed.
He also admitted that India may need to reassess their opening combination, with Sanju Samson potentially coming into consideration.
“See, basically, if we felt that Sanju’s last few innings were low on confidence and Ishan was scoring runs, then obviously you go with Ishan.
“Now we are in a situation where we have to think about whether we need to change anything or if we should still go with the same thing. But yes, it is definitely something to think about. If we have to change something, what do we change and how do we change it?”
With one loss in the Super Eight stage, India now face a must-win situation in their remaining two fixtures. Kotak, however, maintained that the players are accustomed to handling pressure.
“See, I feel that even in a normal game, if you play in India, there is natural pressure. Any professional – any batsman or bowler – feels it when they are playing. There is more pressure on the batsman because it is a one-ball game. For a bowler, it is different. If he misses one or two balls, he can still bowl a good one.
“But with the amount of cricket we play, we have to take that pressure. Everyone has to take it – that anxiety, that pressure. If a batsman does not take it at this level, or if a bowler does not take it, then where will he take it?
“So there will be pressure. That is the whole thing. But there are two matches left. We know where we are. One bad day we had – we have to accept it – we did not play well. And we will have to move forward and try to win the two games properly because we do not have any other option, whether we take pressure or not.”
India will now look to regroup quickly ahead of their Super Eight clashes against Zimbabwe and West Indies as they aim to keep their semi-final hopes alive in the ongoing T20 World Cup.
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