India, March 6 -- Being a finger spinner, a left-arm spinner has become such a conditions-pertinent art in T20 cricket that stature notwithstanding, selection is no longer a guarantee. Indian vice captain Axar Patel being asked to warm the benches in India's two World Cup matches in Ahmedabad - league match against Netherlands and Super 8 tie against South Africa - added to high-profile exclusions to data-based thinking.

Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir may be publicly dismissive of data use, but his tactics suggest otherwise. Again, whether data must weigh more heavily than instincts has never been an exact science.

For players on the receiving end, however, they are left with a point to prove. Axar had missed the 2023 World Cup due to...