Twitter Reactions: Axar Patel Becomes First Indian Spinner to Take Five-Wicket Haul in Day-Night Tests
Axar Patel's 6/38 stands as the second-best bowling figure by a spinner in Day-Night Tests after Devendra Bishoo's 8 for 49 against Pakistan in Dubai in 2016.
During the first day of the third Test of ongoing England’s tour of India in Ahmedabad, India bundled out England for 112 in 48.4 overs after visiting captain Joe Root won the toss and elected to bat.
Meanwhile, Axar Patel, who is playing his second Test, scalped six wickets while Ashwin returned with three wickets as the visitors were bowled out in just 48.4 overs. This was Axar’s second five-wicket haul in a row as he had scalped five in the second innings of the second Test as well. Speedster Ishant Sharma, playing his 100th Test match, picked up one wicket.
For England, no player except opener Zak Crawley crossed the 20 run mark. Crawley scored 53 and showed some resistance. The second top scorer was skipper Joe Root, who scored 17.
Axar Patel began his journey to a six-wicket haul by dismissing Jonny Bairstow for a duck. Jonny Bairstow, the replacement of Dan Lawrence in the line-up, lasted nine balls for no run before Patel struck him lbw. The keeper-batsman’s decision to review did not pay off. By the time lunch arrived, Axar had snapped two out of the four wickets to fall.
Axar’s second victim as Zak Crawley, who was one of the four batsmen to cross double figures and top-score for the visitors. Crawley played a blistering inning of 84-ball 53 before he got dismissed by Patel. Axar didn’t stop here as he went on to remove England’s vice-captain, Ben Stokes, as he played on the backfoot for a non-turning delivery. Stokes, who repeatedly became Ravichandran Ashwin’s victim, was out to the left-arm spinner.
The Gujarat-born spin bowler’s next three victims were Jofra Archer, Stuart Broad, and keeper-batsman Ben Foakes, as England lasted only 48.4 overs after choosing to bat first. Meanwhile, Twitter users lauded the left-arm spinner for his outstanding work in only his second Test.
