India's Axar Patel cuts spinning finger in injury scare against New Zealand ahead of T20 World Cup: 'That would be painful!'
Published 21/01/2026 at 18:19 GMT
India beat New Zealand in Nagpur on Wednesday to begin the five-match T20 series in style. But there was concern for bowler Axar Patel, who was forced off the pitch with a cut to his finger in the final over of his spell. India will hope no major damage has been done after Patel, who ended with figures of 1-42, attempted to catch a powerfully struck shot down the ground.
‘That could be painful’ - India’s ‘trump card’ Patel leaves field with bowling-hand injury
Video credit: TNT Sports
There was concern for India in their T20 match against New Zealand on Wednesday as spin bowler Axar Patel was forced to leave the pitch with a nasty cut to his spinning finger.
The 32-year-old was midway through his final over, having taken the wicket of Glenn Phillips, when the injury occurred.
Patel attempted to catch a powerful drive down the ground from Daryl Mitchell, stretching out his left arm but only getting a glancing touch as it sped through to the boundary.
That was enough to leave the bowler with a bleeding finger, and he walked off the pitch with a bandage on.
"Let's hope he hasn't done any damage because he's got a bit of a problem with the webbing of the finger," Sunil Gavaskar said on commentary. "Oh, that would be painful."
"He's called for the physio - it's his bowling hand. You really wish for his sake he's fine," Harsha Bhogle added.
"He's gonna leave the field straight away - someone else is going to have to come in and bowl the remainder of this over," Ian Smith said. "That is of concern to India because he is a trump card for them.
"When he hit the ball that hard, you always take a risk by putting one hand up. Your natural reaction is to try and take the catch, but that can be the end result."
The concern for India will be how badly damaged Patel's finger is, with a home T20 World Cup just a couple of weeks away.
While India will be worried about the condition of one of their key players, they did celebrate victory over New Zealand by 48 runs in Nagpur.
In the first of a five-match series live on TNT Sports and discovery+, Abhishek Sharma starred with the bat, hitting a remarkable 84 off 35 balls as India set a target of 238 from their 20 overs.
Rinku Singh backed Sharma up with 44 from 20 deliveries, while Suryakumar Yadav hit 32 in an assertive Indian innings.
In response, New Zealand were always trailing behind the pace set by India, though Phillips shone with 78 from 40 balls.
The Black Caps batted the whole 20 overs but could only reach 190-7, with Shivam Dube and Varun Chakaravarthy taking two wickets each for the hosts.
How to watch and live stream England's tour of Sri Lanka
Every ball from the 2026 tour of Sri Lanka will be available live and on-demand via TNT Sports and its streaming platform, discovery+.
Viewers watching the action on discovery+ will benefit from the timeline markers featured throughout the series – allowing them to catch up on all the highlights and pivotal moments at their own pace.
To complement the live action, TNT Sports will broadcast highlights throughout the daytime on its linear channels and discovery+.
When is England's tour of Sri Lanka?
2026 Sri Lanka schedule and start times (all times UK)
- January 22: 1st ODI (R.Premadasa Stadium, Colombo, play starts at 9:00)
- January 24: 2nd ODI (R.Premadasa Stadium, Colombo, play starts at 9:00)
- January 27: 3rd ODI (R.Premadasa Stadium, Colombo, play starts at 9:00)
- January 30: 1st T20I (Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Pallekele, play starts at 13:30)
- February 1: 2nd T20I (Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Pallekele, play starts at 13:30)
- February 3: 3rd T20I (Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Pallekele, play starts at 13:30)
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