Suryakumar Yadav Apologizes to Axar Patel for Dropping Him During T20 World Cup

India captain Suryakumar Yadav revealed he apologised to all-rounder Axar Patel after benching him during the T20 World Cup.

Team India lifted the T20 World Cup 2024 trophy under Suryakumar Yadav’s leadership. Suryakumar later revealed details about a dressing-room conversation with Axar Patel during the tournament.

Axar Patel missed 2 matches in the competition. The all-rounder did not feature against the Netherlands. He also sat out the key game against South Africa. The decision upset the experienced player, who remained a regular member of India’s white-ball squads. Suryakumar later spoke with Axar to explain the situation. The captain admitted the decision created tension but added it came from team strategy.

“He (Axar) was very angry – and he should have been. He’s an experienced player; he leads a franchise. He should be angry. I apologised. 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,” Suryakumar told The Indian Express.

Suryakumar Reveals 2024 Planning for World Cup

Suryakumar Yadav also revealed that preparations for the T20 World Cup 2026 began in 2024. That period marked the start of a new direction for the team. The management decided to change the old playing style. Players focused on winning matches instead of chasing individual records.

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“We knew the way we played the 2024 T20 World Cup – that brand of cricket – won’t work going ahead. So, we decided: from hereon, we will not pay attention to personal milestones, the goal is to win games,” he said.

“If you noticed, till the semifinals, none of our players were top run-getters or top wicket-takers. But we qualified and kept winning. Every game, every player contributed. It was very important to spread this thing like a virus in the team from the start. We planted this team culture 18 months back,” the skipper concluded.