After an exciting last-ball finish in the first T20I at M.A Chidambaram Stadium, India and England are set to clash once again at the Chepauk Stadium. The venue has proved to be a challenging one, with the need for skilled spinners to dominate the game. India's Varun Chakravarthy and Washington Sundar will play a crucial role in leading their team to victory, while England will hope to level the series with a strong performance. Both teams have announced their playing 11s, with the visitors maintaining a good run-rate despite losing regular wickets. It's BazBall time as England's Carse hits a six down the ground off Axar Patel and tries to maintain their momentum.
In the sports world, Indian all-rounder Axar Patel shines with his performance against England in the first T20I. He picks up two wickets and concedes just seven runs in three overs, including the dismissal of struggling Gus Atkinson. England, in the meanwhile, struggles to put up a good batting performance, setting a target of 132 for India. Follow Sportskeeda for live updates and news on the ongoing T20I series.
In a highly anticipated match, India's Men in Blue defeated England by seven wickets in the first T20I at the iconic Eden Gardens. With the absence of veteran seamer Mohammed Shami, expectations were high on the three spinners chosen by the team management - Varun Chakravarthy, Axar Patel, and Ravi Bishnoi, and they did not disappoint. After limiting England to a respectable 132 runs, India batted aggressively in the second innings with Sanju Samson's fiery knock of 26 runs and Abhishek Sharma's blistering half-century of 79 runs. This marked India's seventh consecutive T20I win at Eden Gardens, maintaining their nine-year-old unbeaten record at the venue.
Star India batter Suryakumar Yadav opens up about his close bond with all-rounder Hardik Pandya and adjusting to the change in leadership dynamics in the Indian cricket team. With Axar Patel being named vice captain and Pandya removed from the post, Suryakumar speaks about their friendship and support on and off the field. The Mumbai Indians player also discusses his experience playing under former captain Gautam Gambhir and praises his leadership style.
As India prepares to take on the world in the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy, there has been much debate and discussion around the bowling line-up for the team. Led by skipper Rohit Sharma, the Indian team has chosen to rely heavily on spinners to make an impact in the tournament, much like their success in last year's Twenty20 World Cup. This strategy has been further cemented by the agreement of head coach Gautam Gambhir, showing a unified approach by the team's leadership. With a strong spin attack including names like Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar and Kuldeep Yadav, India is betting on their all-round skills to bring home the trophy.
Former Team India wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik disclosed that Axar Patel will take on the captaincy role for Delhi Capitals in the IPL 2025 season. This confirmation comes as a response to fans and experts speculating about the franchise's captaincy ahead of the mega auction. Karthik praised the move by BCCI for naming Axar as the vice-captain to Suryakumar Yadav for the upcoming T20I series against England, highlighting it as a significant leadership opportunity for the all-rounder. Axar has been with Delhi Capitals for six seasons and was retained for a whopping Rs 18 crore, which Karthik believes reflects his importance to the franchise.
After a long and arduous rehabilitation process and knee injury, Mohammed Shami has been selected for the upcoming T20I series against England and will also be part of the Champions Trophy squad. He will not be playing all five games against England as he gradually works on his bowling load. A total of four spinners, including Axar Patel and Washington Sundar, have been picked for the 15-member squad, with Suryakumar Yadav selected as captain. The team has seen several changes from their previous series against South Africa, with Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harshit Rana, and Dhruv Jurel making their way into the squad.
Gujarat captain Axar Patel showcased his leadership skills once again with an unbeaten half-century and two crucial wickets to lead his team to victory against Karnataka in the Group B match at Holkar Stadium in Indore. This has further boosted his chances of becoming the captain of Delhi Capitals in the upcoming IPL 2025 season, as per comments from franchise co-owner Parth Jindal. Patel has been a key player for Gujarat this season, with six wickets and 134 runs in just seven outings so far.
In the 2nd T20I between India and South Africa, India struggled early on with a poor batting performance, losing 3 wickets within the first four overs. Despite key partnerships from Axar Patel and Tilak Varma, South Africa maintained control and kept picking up wickets at regular intervals. It was only due to a late surge from Hardik Pandya that India could reach a more respectable total of 124/6, with Pandya top-scoring with 39 runs.
As the IPL 2025 retention deadline wrapped up, Punjab Kings made headlines with their strategic retention of uncapped players Prabhsimran Singh and Shashank Singh, leaving them with a whopping 110.5 crore in their auction purse. On the other hand, Delhi Capitals raised some eyebrows by letting go of star skipper Rishabh Pant, opting to retain experienced players Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Tristan Stubbs, and Abishek Porel. While DC's decision sparked some debate, co-owner Parth Jindal assured fans that the team is determined to build a strong and balanced squad that will bring home the elusive IPL trophy.