Mumbai, Dec 15 (IANS) India all-rounder Axar Patel has been ruled out of the remaining two matches of the five-match T20I series against South Africa due to illness. Patel also didn’t feature in the third T20I in Dharamshala.

However, he continues with the team in Lucknow, where he will be further medically assessed.

The Men’s Selection Committee has named Shahbaz Ahmed as his replacement for the T20Is in Lucknow and Ahmedabad. The 31-year-old has already participated in five international games for India, most recently in October 2023 during the Asian Games.

For the third game, India also lacked the services of pace leader Jasprit Bumrah. The fast bowler’s availability for the next two games is still unknown because he had to return home for personal reasons.

India easily won the third Twenty20 International to grab a 2-1 series lead despite their absences. The series finale will take place in Ahmedabad on December 19, with the following match taking place in Lucknow on December 17.

India’s updated squad for the last two T20Is: Suryakumar Yadav (C), Shubman Gill (VC), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Jitesh Sharma (WK), Sanju Samson (WK), Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Washington Sundar, Shahbaz Ahmed

–IANS

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