India Vs South Africa: Axar Patel Ruled Out Of Remaining T20Is Due To Illness; Shahbaz Ahmed Named Replacement

India's spin-bowling all-rounder Axar Patel was on Monday (December 15, 2025) ruled out of the remaining two T20 internationals against South Africa due to illness, with the national selection committee naming Shahbaz Ahmed as his replacement.

Axar had also missed the third T20I in Dharamsala on Sunday, with fellow spinner Kuldeep Yadav being included in the playing XI.

India went on to beat South Africa by seven wickets in a low-scoring match to take a 2-1 lead in the five-match series. The last two games of the five-match series will be played in Lucknow and Ahmedabad on Wednesday and Friday, respectively.

"Team India allrounder, Axar Patel has been ruled out of the remaining two IDFC First Bank T20Is against South Africa due to illness," said a statement from Board of Control for Cricket in India secretary Devajit Saikia.

"However, he is with the team in Lucknow where he will be further medically assessed. The Men’s Selection Committee has named Shahbaz Ahmed as his replacement for the T20Is in Lucknow and Ahmedabad," the statement added.

The 31-year-old Shahbaz has played two T20Is and three ODIs so far, picking up five wickets in all. He has entered the side after a bunch of impressive performances in Ranji Trophy and Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy games this season.

India’s updated squad for last two T20Is: Suryakumar Yadav (c), Shubman Gill (vc), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Sanju Samson (wk), Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Washington Sundar, Shahbaz Ahmed.

(With PTI inputs)