India has suffered a setback midway through the ongoing five-match T20I series against South Africa, with reports confirming that all-rounder Axar Patel has been ruled out of the remainder of the contest due to illness. The development comes following the Men in Blue extending their lead to 2-1 with a convincing win in the third T20I.
Axar missed the third T20I against South Africa in Dharamsala after falling ill, with Kuldeep Yadav replacing him in the playing XI. According to a report by Sports Tak, the illness has now forced the all-rounder out of the remaining matches of the series as well. While the team is yet to announce a replacement for the left-arm spinning all-rounder. The hosts bounced back strongly in the third T20I after a heavy defeat in the second match, winning by seven wickets.
The 31-year-old was part of India's plans in the first two T20Is of the series, played in Cuttack and Mullanpur, and made useful all-round contributions. With the bat, he scored 23 and 21 in the opening two games, while with the ball, he returned figures of 2/7 in the first T20I and 1/27 in the second. His spell in the series opener helped India bowl South Africa out for just 74, handing a massive 101-run win for India.
