Suryakumar Yadav shares key update on Axar Patel’s fitness ahead of T20 World Cup 2026

India's star all-rounder and T20I vice-captain Axar Patel missed out on the T20I series against New Zealand due to a finger injury that he sustained during the first match of the series. While he was bowling, the batter hit straight towards him and he tried to catch the ball. However, he failed as the speed was more and the ball went straight to the boundary. Axar was then seen in visible pain as blood came oozing out of his finger. 

He was then ruled out of the match. During the fourth T20I match, captain Suryakumar Yadav gave an update on Axar's fitness and mentioned that he is healing and might be seen in the fifth and the final match. Axar is a very handy player in terms of batting and bowling and hence, India miss him in the T20Is. With the T20 World Cup 2026 coming up, his contributions to the team will be valuable. 

"Arshdeep comes in for Ishan Kishan, who picked up a niggle in the last game. Axar Patel still needs a bit more time, so hopefully we'll see him in the next game. The batters will need to take a bit more responsibility, but at the same time not shy away from playing with fearless intent. We've got five good bowling options today, so we'll see how it goes," Suryakumar said at the toss.

Ishan Kishan misses fourth T20I match vs NZ

Ishan Kishan, India's No. 3 batter, was not included in the playing XI of the fourth T20I match against New Zealand due to a niggle. Skipper Suryakumar Yadav opened up about his injury during the toss. Instead of him, Arshdeep Singh came in for the game. 

"We're going to bowl first. It looks like a good wicket, and we'll get a chance to practise here later. There was a lot of dew last night and today it's a little humid as well, so we feel that in the second innings the ball will come onto the bat nicely. I think the important thing is to repeat the good habits we've built over the past year, not just in this series," said SKY at the toss. 

Where to watch IND vs NZ matches?

Cricket fans in India can watch the India vs New Zealand matches from January 21 online on JioHotstar, via OTTplay Premium.

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