The Indian team management preferred Washington Sundar over Axar Patel in the game against South Africa.
| Photo Credit: Vijay Soneji
India’s inexplicable meltdown against South Africa shifted attention to the team composition. During the post-match press conference at the Narendra Modi Stadium here on Sunday, assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate conceded that World Cups never come easy.
Fine line
Reacting to vice-captain Axar Patel’s omission, ten Doeschate said: “We have the highest regard for Axar. It is just that in the case of match-ups against left-handed batters, we thought this was the best XI, especially our bowlers. It is a thin line, do we go with an extra batter or an extra bowler?”
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On Abhishek Sharma’s form, ten Doeschate explained: “The other day too I said how he is in good rhythm in the nets. Yes three zeroes can weigh you down, he is trying his best. Yes we have been losing wickets early. There is also some inexperience in the ranks, we are trying to address all that. We have to be careful while apportioning blame.”
Keeping it simple
Meanwhile, David Miller, who rescued South Africa with a superb knock, said: “In front of a large audience, you try to do the simple things. This game is a game of risks and as a cricketer you play to your terms. Today was an all-round great performance.”
He stressed that India is beatable. “We just got to stay in our lane and do our plans. Against Varun Chakaravarthy we did our best. He is a world-class bowler but we took our chances. Getting 187 on (the) board and getting those early wickets helped us,” Miller said.
Published – February 22, 2026 11:50 pm IST
