Axar Patel left bloodied by Daryl Mitchell as injury threatens ICC T20 World Cup 2026 participation

India left-arm spinner Axar Patel was left with a bloodied finger on the third ball of the 16th over of the First T20I between India and New Zealand in Nagpur. This led to a massive injury scare for India's premier all-rounder ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup.

India won the first match against New Zealand. The five-match series marks the last bit of preparation for both teams ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup, which will commence on the 7th of February in India and Sri Lanka.

India have been placed in the same group as Pakistan, the USA, the Netherlands, and Namibia, while on the other hand, New Zealand have been placed in Group D alongside several tough competitors in Afghanistan, England, UAE ana Canada.

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Axar Patel left the Nagpur pitch bleeding after a solid blow from Daryl Mitchell

As India and New Zealand clashed in Nagpur, the first match witnessed a high-scoring spectacle from the two teams. India, the no. 1 T20I side in the world and the reigning World champions, have extended their winning streak ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup.

In the Indian bowling innings, Axar Patel, the veteran all-rounder who has also been named the vice-captain of the India team, shivered in pain as he attempted to stop a ball that was sent traveling by Daryl Mitchell's powerful shot.

Patel, who was back in the side after a brief pause, tried to catch a ball with his left hand and was struck with a meaty blow on the tip of his index finger. The ball raced off to the fence, and his finger started to bleed profusely.

The physios came in, and Axar Patel had to leave the field immediately. Abhishek Sharma was called in to finish the remaining three balls of his spell. Ravi Bishnoi was called in as his replacement as a substitute fielder.

Official update on Axar Patel's injury awaited

The blow to the finger of the left-arm orthodox spinner is not only some injury that can be waved off. It's an injury to his bowling hand, and special care needs to be taken to ensure his participation in the ICC T20 World Cup.

Axar Patel was a part of the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 winning squad as well and played a very handy hand alongside Virat Kohli in the final against South Africa. Axar has often been seen as a potent match-winner and was named the vice-captain of the team.

However, after the blow to the all-rounder's finger, no official update has been issued on the all-rounder's injury, and the BCCI or the team India management is yet to speak of his condition.

Abhishek Sharma and Rinku Singh led India to a glorious 48-run victory

Coming to the match, India started off in some fashion, with Abhishek Sharma once again taking control of the Indian innings with his massive and flawless hitting. The opener from Punjab managed to hit 8 sixes and amassed 84 runs off just 35 balls, striking at nearly 240.

After Abhishek did the majority of the scoring, he was backed by small yet essential runs from Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya. Later, towards the death, Rinku Singh, making a comeback for India, smacked the ball to all parts of the ground and finished the innings on 238/7 with an unbeaten 20-ball 44.

With the ball, Jasprit Bumrah went wicketless, yet Arshdeep Singh and Hardik Pandya managed a wicket each. Later, the spinner picked up three wickets between them, and Shivam Dube made a double strike in the final over of the game. Axar Patel picked the game-changing wicket of Glenn Phillips.

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