Gujarat-Born Monank Patel Misses Historic USA Captaincy Against India Due To Injury

IND vs USA: Monank Patel missed the opportunity to captain the USA against his country of birth at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York on Wednesday, June 12.

Gujarat-born Monank Patel, who played junior cricket with Axar Patel and Jasprit Bumrah, would have wished to stand with India captain Rohit Sharma at the toss but had to miss out on the first-ever match between the two sides due to a niggle injury.

USA stand-in captain Aaron Jones confirmed the news to Ravi Shastri at the toss. Jones also named opener Shayan Jahangir as the replacement for Monank Patel, who led India to wins against Canada and Pakistan.

The win against Pakistan has put the USA on the cusp of qualifying for the Super 8 round of the T20 World Cup 2024. The idea behind benching Monank is precautionary as the USA's last group stage match against Ireland could be crucial.

The USA just needs a win to move to the next round of the ICC showpiece event. The winner of the India vs USA match would become the first team from Group A to qualify for Super 8.

"The camp is very positive, just looking to play some good cricket. Shayan Jahangir replaces Monank and Shadley is in for Nosthush," Aaron Jones said at the toss.

Monank Patel had been dreaming of playing against India for a long time, but the injury robbed the 31-year-old's opportunity to stand with Rohit Sharma at the toss.

"You dream about this kind of thing and suddenly you see yourself with Rohit Sharma at toss time. It's unreal. It'll be a high-pressure game. Honestly, we don't want to focus too much right now. We want to play our brand of cricket against all teams," Monank Patel had said ahead of the match.

India captain Rohit Sharma had no hesitation in opting to bowl first after winning the toss. The New York pitch has helped seamers early in the first innings.

India have made no changes and are playing with the same combination. Eyes will be on Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Shivam Dube, and Ravindra Jadeja. All four players are yet to leave an impact on the ninth edition of the T20 World Cup.