'He has been batting well accross formats' - Suryakumar Yadav defends India's decision to promote Axar Patel to No. 3 in Mullanpur T20I

Suryakumar Yadav defended the management's call to send Axar Patel over him in the second T20I of the five-match series between India and South Africa. Axar had not batted at No. 3 in his previous 51 T20I innings prior to the contest in Mullanpur on December 11.

Suryakumar linked Axar's performances across formats as the reason behind his promotion. He also credited the manner in which the opposition bowled during the second innings.

"As for the Axar move, we backed him because he has been batting well across formats. It just didn't click tonight. Tough luck, but we learn and get better from here. See you in Dharamshala. There was a bit of dew, yes, but even then, when Plan A wasn't working, we should have switched quicker. South Africa showed us exactly how to bowl in the second innings, and we will take that into the next game," stated Suryakumar while speaking at the post-match presentation.

Meanwhile, thr Axar move did not pay off, as he was dismissed for a run-a-ball 21. Suryakumar departed for just five off four as India got bowled out for 162 in 19.1 overs, falling short by 51 runs as the Aiden Markram-led unit levelled the series.

The 35-year-old batter pinned blame on himself as well, stating that he should have taken more responsibility and batted deep. He also admitted that the Indian unit could not adjust to the conditions quick enough with the ball.

"Abhishek has been brilliant, but we cannot expect him to do it every time. Shubman got out on the first ball, but I should have batted deeper and controlled the chase. It just didn't go our way today, apart from the toss. Maybe, I should have batted after winning it, but it is fine. We bowled first and could not quite adjust early on, and only later did we realise how important the lengths were on this wicket. It is a learning process, and we move forward," he added.

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The third match is scheduled to be played at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamsala on December 14.