Krunal Pandya vs Axar Patel: Why India Prefer the Latter in T20Is

India have announced their 15-member squad for the three match T20I series against Afghanistan, starting on September 13, and have once again overlooked Krunal Pandya. The all-rounder last played for India in 2021 but returned to the spotlight after a strong IPL 2026 season with Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). He scored 226 runs and took 14 wickets in the title winning campaign.

However, the selectors have continued to back Axar Patel, who has retained his place in the squad. Axar has been a regular part of India’s T20I setup in recent years.

Here are the reasons why Axar Patel continues to have an edge over Krunal Pandya in T20Is.

Axar Patel has a much stronger international record

The biggest difference between the two players is their international record for India. Krunal has played 19 T20Is where he has scored 124 runs and took 15 wickets.

Axar, on the other hand, has played far more T20Is and has been much more successful with the ball. He has taken more than 100 T20I wickets and has an economy rate of around 7.5.

Axar offers more flexibility with the ball

Axar has an advantage because he can be used in more situations with the ball. Krunal is mostly used in the middle overs, while Axar can bowl both in the powerplay as well as the middle overs. He has done this regularly for India over the past few years and has been successful in this role.

Axar Patel has proved his batting value

Krunal’s batting was another big positive from IPL 2026. He scored 226 runs for RCB at a strike rate of 145.80 and played an important role in their title winning campaign.

However, Axar has a more settled batting role for India. He has also shown that he can score important runs when the team needs him. In the T20 World Cup 2024 final against South Africa, Axar in a pressure situation scored 47 runs while batting higher up the order than he usually does. That innings was crucial as it helped India to post a total of more than 170.

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Axar Patel is the younger option

If we look at India’s current T20I setup, the senior players in the team are around 31 or 32 years old, while most of the squad is younger than that. India are clearly looking to build a team for the next few years.

Axar Patel is 32, while Krunal Pandya is 35, which gives Axar an advantage in this case. Both players have a similar skill set, but Axar is younger and already has more international experience.

Krunal Pandya and Axar Patel have a similar role

This could be another reason why Axar continues to get the preference. Both Krunal and Axar are left handed batters and left arm spinners. They can also score runs in the lower middle order and contribute with the ball.

If Krunal had a very different role, his chances would be better. But he offers similar skills like Axar. So, replacing Axar with Krunal would not give India a very different option.

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