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Team India vice-captain Axar Patel is not playing in the second India vs New Zealand T20I of the five-match series due to an injury that he sustained in the series opener. While the official confirmation from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is awaited, the Men in Blue captain, Suryakumar Yadav, confirmed Axar's absence from the playing 11.
Speaking at the toss of Friday's match, Suryakumar Yadav said that Axar Patel misses out from the playing 11 for the second T20I due to injury. The India captain also announced that pacer Jasprit Bumrah has been given rest. All-rounder Harshit Rana and spinner Kuldeep Yadav have been roped into the playing 11 in place of Axar and Bumrah, Suryakumar confirmed after winning the toss and opting to bowl first. Axar sustained a painful blow to his bowling finger while attempting a return catch off Daryl Mitchell in the series opener against New Zealand on January 21. Left bleeding, the all-rounder walked off mid-over during his final spell, with Abhishek Sharma completing the remaining three deliveries of the 16th over in the second innings. "We are going to bowl first. There is already a little bit of dew out there; we haven't chased in recent times, so we want to chase. I think it (the pitch) looks good. I think it's the same wicket they said, which was used for the ODI series. I think we play every game, and we try to improve in all aspects. We never get perfect. We are always learning. But yeah, we look to do the same things again. We try to do the same thing in the bowling department, fielding and batting. We have two changes - Axar is missing out because he got hit in the last game. And Bumrah is resting tonight. So Harshit and Kuldeep come in," Suryakumar Yadav said at toss. The Team India fans will hope that Axar Patel's injury is not serious, as the Men in Blue are already dealing with a series of injuries ahead of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026, including Washington Sundar and Tilak Varma. India vs New Zealand 2nd T20I playing 11s: India Playing 11: Sanju Samson(w), Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav(c), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy New Zealand Playing 11: Devon Conway, Tim Seifert(w), Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, Mitchell Santner(c), Zakary Foulkes, Matt Henry, Ish Sodhi, Jacob Duffy. (ANI)
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