Suryakumar Yadav Admits Apologizing to Vice-Captain Axar Patel After Dropping Him Unfairly for South Africa Game in World Cup

Against South Africa, the Suryakumar Yadav-led side suffered a batting collapse and failed to chase the target, ending in a dismal 76-run loss.

Suryakumar Yadav Admits Apologizing to Vice-Captain Axar Patel After Dropping Him Unfairly for South Africa Game in World Cup

Suryakumar Yadav disclosed that he apologized to vice-captain Axar Patel for his omission. (via News 18)

In Short
  • Suryakumar Yadav apologized to Axar Patel for his omission from the playing XI against South Africa.
  • The decision to drop Patel was controversial and linked to India's heavy 76-run loss in the Super Eight match.
  • Patel's return to the team led to improved performance, contributing significantly in subsequent matches.

Indian T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav opened up about Axar Patel’s surprising omission from the crucial Super Eight fixture against South Africa during the World Cup. He admitted to apologizing to his vice-captain, who appeared upset about being left out of the playing XI.

While India ultimately lifted the 2026 T20 World Cup title, Suryakumar Yadav and his men suffered a jolt during their campaign. It would have otherwise been a flawless campaign, had India not lost a Super Eight fixture to South Africa in Ahmedabad.

The heavy 76-run loss not only ended India’s 12-match unbeaten streak in T20 World Cups but was also the team’s second-biggest loss in their T20I history.

Many perceived the team’s decision to leave out vice-captain Axar Patel from the playing XI as a pivotal factor behind the heavy defeat, as it turned out to be one of the most controversial selection calls of the tournament. The decision to leave out Patel was termed ‘tactical’, given his replacement Washington Sundar was expected to be more effective against the long list of left-handers in the Proteas’ lineup.

However, the gamble did not work out, with Sundar struggling to make an impact with the bat or the ball, finishing with expensive figures of 0/17 in the two overs that he bowled. Consequently, the 26-year-old was replaced by Axar Patel for the following match.

Suryakumar Yadav has now opened up on the matter, with the Indian captain revealing that Patel was ‘very angry’ over his exclusion. He added that the 32-year-old felt that his experience was overlooked, not only as vice-captain but also as a senior all-rounder. 

Yadav disclosed that he apologized to Patel, without waiting for the dust to settle down in the dressing room. Openly admitting that his strategy had backfired, Yadav said he had even told Patel that the decision was made with the team’s best interests in mind. The Indian T20I captain further shared about how Patel responded to the apology, noting that he showed professionalism. He told The Indian Express:

He [Axar Patel] was very angry, and he should have been… I apologized. I told him I made a mistake, and I’m sorry, but it was a call for the team. It was a hard conversation. He took it in his stride and we talked it through the next day.

Patel finished with 11 wickets in the 2026 T20 World Cup, including 3/27 in the final. The defeat to South Africa was also a turning point for the team, as it led to Sanju Samson being brought back into the playing XI, after which he was named Player of the Tournament.

Suryakumar Yadav reveals the true story behind India’s pre-final hotel switch in Ahmedabad

Suryakumar Yadav, in his very first interview after winning the 2026 T20 World Cup, made an uncanny revelation. He opened up about the real reason the Men in Blue decided to change the hotel they would stay in ahead of the final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. 

Suryakumar Yadav on hotel change
Suryakumar Yadav revealed the reason behind Team India’s hotel change, ahead of 2026 T20 World Cup final. (via India Today)

The Indian team opted to stay at the Taj Skyline in Ahmedabad, instead of the pre-assigned ITC Narmada. In fact, the ITC Narmada was the same hotel where the team had stayed during the 2023 ODI World Cup final defeat to Australia and the Super Eight loss to South Africa in the 2026 tournament. Although it was initially speculated that the switch was due to superstition, many were skeptical of this belief.

Captain Suryakumar Yadav clarified that the call to switch hotels was a deliberate, last-minute decision by the team. The 35-year-old exclaimed that a member of the Indian contingent put forward the suggestion while they were on their flight to Mumbai for the semi-final. He acknowledged that the team wanted to distance itself from the ‘negative energy’ of the previous heartbreaks, in the hope of a change in luck. 

We were on the flight to Wankhede for the semi-final when someone suggested we try a hotel change. Many teams have done it. We didn’t want to leave anything on the table that could take us closer to our goal.

Yadav also addressed the notion of a ‘curse’ associated with the Narendra Modi Stadium. He strongly denied these claims, pointing out that the team’s victory at the same venue effectively proves that the Ahmedabad stadium is not cursed.

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