India vs England 2021: Axar Patel Becomes The First Bowler To Claim 11 Wickets In A Pink Ball Test

Indian left-arm spinner Axar Patel sent record books tumbling in the just-concluded third Test against England at the Narendra Modi Stadium as he became the first bowler in the history of pink-ball Tests to take 11 wickets.

On a wicket that aided his style of bowling, Axar Patel with his arm balls was literally unplayable as he bullied the English batting-unit in both innings to finish with figures of 11/70.

Axar backed up his six-wicket haul in the first innings [6/38] with another five-wicket-haul- his third in as many innings- to help India knock over England for a mere 81 in their second essay and pave way for a thumping ten-wicket-win for the hosts within a space of two days and just over five sessions.

His 11/70 is now the best-ever bowling figure in a day-night Test. Australian pacer Pat Cummins was the previous record-holder. The champion pacer had registered 10/62 against Sri Lanka in Brisbane during the 2019 summer.

Axar Patel has been a valuable addition to the Indian side in the absence of off-spin all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja. The left-arm orthodox has stamped his authority in the Test series ever since he made his debut in the second match in Chennai, where he had claimed as many as seven wickets across two innings.

Patel has also become the third Indian spinner after Laxman Sivaramakrishnan [1984] and Ravichandran Ashwin to claim a five-wicket haul in each innings of a Test match.

Needless to say, Axar was named as the ‘Player of the Match’ for his role in setting up India’s ten-wicket win in the third Test. During the post-match presentation, the left-arm orthodox gave an insight into his plans that has paid him rich dividends in the past two games.

”When it happens, it feels so easy. I am not thinking much. I want to continue this form. I am happy that if I am not contributing with the bat, I am doing it with the ball. My strength is to bowl wicket-to-wicket and not give him room. The mindset of batters is they play out a couple of maidens, they either go for a sweep or try to hit over the infield,” said Axar Patel.

Also Read: Axar Patel Reveals Why Rishabh Pant Called Him “Wasim Bhai” From Behind The Stumps