New Delhi, December 16, 2025 – India all-rounder Axar Patel has been ruled out of the last two T20 Internationals against South Africa due to illness, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced on Monday.
Patel, who also missed the third T20I in Dharamsala, remains with the team in Lucknow for further medical assessment. The Men’s Selection Committee has named spin-bowling all-rounder Shahbaz Ahmed as his like-for-like replacement for the matches in Lucknow (December 17) and Ahmedabad (December 19).
The 31-year-old Shahbaz, a left-arm spinner and useful lower-order batter, has represented India in five internationals, including two T20Is – most recently at the 2023 Asian Games where he contributed to India’s gold medal win.
India currently lead the five-match series 2-1 after a comfortable victory in the third T20I, despite absences including pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, who missed the game due to personal reasons. His availability for the remaining matches remains uncertain.
Updated India Squad for 4th and 5th T20Is:
Suryakumar Yadav (Captain), Shubman Gill (Vice-Captain), 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.
The series has seen dominant performances from both sides, with India aiming to clinch the trophy in the upcoming fixtures.
