Why Did Axar Patel Bat at No. 3 During IND vs SA 2nd T20I?

India had a forgettable day during the second T20I of the five-match series at Maharaja Yadavindra Singh Cricket Stadium, Mullanpur. The Men in Blue lost the match in a convincing manner as the Proteas levelled the series 1-1.

There were several controversial calls made by India's head coach Gautam Gambhir in this match. One of those calls were to send the all-rounder Axar Patel at the No. 3 spot instead of his usual batting position, which is in the lower order.

Why Did Axar Patel Bat No 3 During IND vs SA 2nd T20I?

Axar came in to bat at No. 3 after the fall of Shubman Gill's wicket. India's vice-captain was gone for a golden duck which put Axar into the batting crease in the first over itself. Axar Patel failed to get his timing right for the first few balls and struggled a bit against the new ball.

Soon, he tried to show some intent after realising that the required run rate is going up. He smashed a four and a six and it seemed like he is getting his touch back. However, he was finally dismissed in the 8th over of the innings while trying to slash Ottneil Baartman past the cover fielder.

Axar scored a run-a-ball 21 which included a four and a six. Axar Patel batting position in India's T20I team is usually No. 7 or 8. He is one of the best all-rounders in India and was sent up the order in an attempt to score quick runs by making use of powerplay restrictions. However, it wasn't his day and he was dismissed cheaply.

Other Batters Pushed Down the Order

With Axar at No. 3, the other batters were pushed down the order. Skipper Suryakumar Yadav came at No. 4 with Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, and Jitesh Sharma following them. Despite having some of the most dangerous batsmen in the world, the move didn't quite work well as the Men in Blue lost the India vs South Africa 3rd T20I match.

With this win, South Africa have levelled the series 1-1 with three more matches to be played. The first match was won by the home team in Cuttack by a big margin of 101 runs. The remaining matches of the series will be played at Dharamsala, Lucknow, and Ahmedabad respectively.