Big Blow for India! Axar Patel INJURED during first IND vs NZ T20I; leaves field with blooded finger

Axar Patel suffered a finger injury while attempting a return catch off his own bowling to dismiss Daryl Mitchell.

India‘s T20I vice-captain Axar Patel suffered an injury scare during the first T20I between India and New Zealand. Defending a massive score of 238, India started brilliantly, and had the game in the bag half-way through the innings itself.

Glenn Phillips provided some resistance with a vailant 78, but there was simply not enough contribution from the rest of the batters. The match became more of a mere formality for the home team, with Suryakumar Yadav giving bowlers an exposure to the back-end of the innings, keeping the all-important upcoming T20 World Cup 2026 in mind.

Ultimately, India cruised to a comprehensive 48-run victory in the series opener. While Varun Chakaravarthy and Shivam Dube chipped in with two wickets apiece, the night truly belonged to Abhishek Sharma, whose blistering 84 off just 35 deliveries set the tone and rightly earned him the Player of the Match award.

Axar Patel suffers cut on finger, leaves field midway

Despite the emphatic win, India’s celebrations were tempered by an injury scare to a key player whose all-round value makes him integral to the team’s plans in the T20 format.

Completing his bowling spell in the 16th over, Axar Patel nearly outfoxed Daryl Mitchell but the ball fell just short of Abhishek Sharma. However, on ball 15.3 of the innings, the Kiwi batter smashed the ball right past Patel, who managed to just get a tip of the finger, before the ball raced away for a boundary.

But the damage was done, as Patel felt the pain increasing, and his agitation was visible. Moreover, to add to his concerns, it was Patel’s left-handed bowling hand, and the physio was called onto the field of play immediately.

Within seconds, Axar was taken off the field with his finger being full of blood, and Abhishek Sharma was asked to complete the over. Axar had an expensive day overall with the ball in hand, going for 42 runs in 3.3 overs, with the important wicket of Glenn Phillips.

However, all eyes will now be on Axar’s finger injury, with uncertainty surrounding his availability for the remainder of the series. Patel has become the latest addition to India’s growing injury list, joining Tilak Varma and Washington Sundar, both of whom have already been ruled out due to their respective injuries.

For more updates, follow Khel Now Cricket on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube; download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App and join our community on Whatsapp & Telegram.