“What has Axar done to not be in the side?” - India’s World Cup winner slams team selection for IND vs SA 2025 ODIs

Former India cricketer and 1983 World Cup winner Kris Srikkanth slammed the team selection for the upcoming ODI series against South Africa. Notably, all-rounder Axar Patel was left out of the squad.

Srikkanth questioned the decision and reckoned that Axar was a better batter than many others in the squad. He further questioned the need for three wicketkeepers. India have included KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, and Dhruv Jurel, leaving out a solid all-rounder like Axar.

"What has Axar done to not be in the side? He is a pure batter compared to Nitish Kumar Reddy. Nitish is a replacement for Hardik? I dont know why Axar is not there. He has done very well throughout. He can be a better batter than many others in the team. You can play him even as a batter. I dont understand three wicketkeepers in the squad either," he said on his YouTube channel 'Cheeky Cheeka'.

Srikkanth opined that India could use Axar even as a batter alone. He stated that Varun Chakaravarthy could have been part of the team as well. Further, he questioned Nitish Kumar Reddy's selection, given that he does not bowl a lot and does not have a great record in ODIs either.

"You can play Axar as a batter. Varun is a game-changer. What has Nitish done even in ODIs? You are going with three medium pacers. You will play two in the XI and three spinners then. You say Nitish will come at eight and bowl four overs? This adjustment does not work in cricket."

Nitish Kumar Reddy has played just two ODIs so far. He has scored 27 runs. With the ball, he has bowled just 5.1 overs across two games and has not picked up a single wicket.

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Kris Srikkanth backs India's decision to make KL Rahul ODI captain

Meanwhile, India named KL Rahul as captain for the upcoming ODI series against South Africa. Notably, both Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer are not part of the squad due to injury. Kris Srikkanth reckoned that it was the right decision to make Rahul captain rather than going back to former skipper Rohit Sharma.

"I think it is the right call to give KL captaincy. He deserves it based on sheer performance. I don't think they would have thought about Rohit and it is not right for him to take it also. Why should he take it? You will be dishonoring Rohit if you go back to him now," he said.

India host South Africa for a three-match ODI series. The first game will be played on Sunday, November 30, in Ranchi. Raipur and Visakhapatnam are the venues for the second and third ODIs, respectively.