How Axar Patel’s Absence Could Hand Pakistan A Golden Chance In Asia Cup Clash

Jatin

Axar Patel suffered an injury while fielding [Source: AFP Photos]Axar Patel suffered an injury while fielding [Source: AFP Photos]

India’s Asia Cup 2025 Super Four match against Pakistan was already a mouthwatering prospect. But Axar Patel’s injury scare has suddenly tilted the equation.

The left-arm allrounder, who took a blow to the head while fielding against Oman, is now a doubtful starter. And make no mistake, his absence isn’t just a minor scratch on India’s plans, it is a dent big enough for Pakistan to sneak through.

Axar Patel may not grab headlines like some of the other players, but he is the glue guy. The one who quietly ties together the bowling attack, plugs gaps in the batting order and saves crucial runs in the field. Losing him before a high-voltage IND vs PAK match is like walking into a storm with no umbrella.

Numbers Tell The Tale

Axar’s Asia Cup 2025 numbers scream impact. In three matches so far, he has bowled 48 deliveries, given away just 35 runs and picked three wickets. That is an economy of 4.37 and a bowling average of 11.66.

Against Pakistan in the group stage, he turned the screws with 2/18 in four overs, numbers that kept Agha Salman’s men on a leash.

Take him out of the XI and suddenly India’s middle-overs look wobbly. Without that miserly left-arm spin, Pakistan’s batters, who love pace on the ball, could feast in Dubai. Kuldeep Yadav alone can’t do all the heavy lifting. Varun Chakravarthy brings mystery, sure, but mystery without control can quickly turn into misery.

How The Spin Trio Gets Reshaped

With Axar fit, India roll a three-piece spin web. Axar pins. Kuldeep attacks. Varun picks his spots when the squeeze is on. Without Axar, each role shifts.

Role Shift If Axar Sits Out

  • Kuldeep Yadav now carries two jobs. Still the wicket taker. But also the cheap overs guy when the fifth bowler is under heat. That means more defensive fields at times. Fewer catchers. Less bite.
  • Varun Chakravarthy loses the cushion. His best spells come when batters are already stuck. Without Axar’s dots, batters can line him up, sit deep and play the spinner not the ball.
  • The fifth bowler becomes a stress point. One bad over and the whole middle phase leaks. India often use Axar to plug exactly that moment. No Axar means someone else has to take the medicine.

Why Pakistan Benefit In The Middle Overs

Pakistan love a release ball. If they get five or six run overs on tap, the scoreboard breathes. Axar’s economy kills that breath. His length is flat enough to deny big swings but just slow enough to drag the ball into the pitch.

The angle into right hand batters cramps the slog sweep. The wide line to left hand batters steals the cut. Those are tactical brakes. Lose them and the chase rhythm changes.

Batting Cushion Gone

Axar also showed against Oman why his batting is worth its weight in gold. Coming in at No. 5, he hammered 26 off just 13 balls, stitching a rapid 45-run stand with Sanju Samson. Those kinds of cameos swing momentum. Without him, India’s middle order looks thinner, especially if Pakistan manage early breakthroughs.

Fielding Impact Hard To Replace

It’s not just bat and ball. Axar is a livewire in the field. He prowls the ring, cuts twos into singles and pulls off stops that lift the whole team.

Against Pakistan, where every run matters and nerves are stretched, India will miss that presence. One misfield can snowball into a momentum shift and Pakistan thrive on sniffing such openings.

Pakistan’s Golden Chance

For Pakistan, Axar’s absence is nothing short of a gift wrapped in blue. Their batters will fancy their chances of dominating the middle overs, their spinners won’t have to counter his late-order hitting and their fielders won’t be chasing balls saved by his athletic dives. It tilts the balance in subtle but telling ways.

High-voltage matches often swing on fine margins. A dropped catch, a miscued hit, a bowler missing his line. For India, missing Axar Patel could well be that one missing piece which turns a tight contest into a long night.

And if Pakistan cash in, it won’t be because India lacked stars, it will be because they missed their silent warrior.