Watch: Axar Patel commits Pakistan player-like blunder, gifts Tom Banton a lifeline in 3rd ODI

The India National Cricket Team all-rounder Axar Patel made a massive blunder in the third ODI of the series against the England National Cricket Team on Wednesday, February 12.

Axar Patel's big blunder on the field at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad led to the English batter Tom Banton getting a lifeline.

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Tom Banton escapes run out due to Axar Patel's mistake

The right-handed batter Tom Banton received a surprise recall to the England team after the all-rounder Jacob Bethell picked up an injury. Banton seemed to have impressed England selectors with his recent heroics in the ILT20.

Banton has also been added to the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 squad of England as a replacement for Bethell. The batter got the opportunity to feature in the England playing XI in the third ODI and he played a decent knock.

He scored 38 runs off 41 balls before being dismissed by left-arm wrist-spinnet Kuldeep Yadav in the 18th over. His innings was studded with 4 fours and 2 sixes.

Notably, Tom Banton's stay in the middle would have been cut short in the 13th over itself had Axar Patel not made a massive blunder

On the last ball of the over, all-rounder Hardik Pandya bowled a slower ball to Banton, who defended it to point and took off for a single. His partner Joe Root was interested in a run, but suddenly hit the brakes and then Banton also hit his brakes before reversing.

There was a chaotic 'no-run, yes-no' situation in the middle, and Axar Patel quickly collected the ball. Axar had a lot of time to produce a direct hit, but he got confused for a second and ended up firing an off-target throw.

The blunder made by the all-rounder allowed Banton to dive full length and escape the dismissal. Axar laughed in disgust after his mistake and Hardik Pandya was also seen smiling.

Watch: Axar Patel commits a huge blunder in the 3rd ODI

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What happened in the previous India vs England ODI?

India bagged a dominant 4-wicket win over England in the second ODI in Cuttack to seal the series with a game to spare. While chasing 305, Rohit Sharma led from the front with a sensational 119 runs knock and took his team past the finish line.

After opting to bat first, England posted a good total of 304 runs on the board, thanks to Joe Root’s 69-run knock and Ben Duckett’s 65-run innings.

Most of the England players got good starts but they struggled to convert them into big scores. However, the late flourish from Liam Livingstone (41) and Adil Rashid (14) pushed England past 300 runs.

For India, Ravindra Jadeja (3/35) led the bowling attack and, he received great support from Mohammed Shami, Varun Chakravarthy, Harshit Rana and, Hardik Pandya - all of whom picked one wicket each.

Chasing the total, India started explosively with Rohit and Shubman Gill (60 off 52) adding 136 for the first wicket despite multiple interruptions due to a floodlight malfunction.

A vintage Rohit was seen in Cuttack as he smashed 12 fours and 7 sixes, while Gill played a good supporting role.

Even after Virat Kohli’s early dismissal (5), India looked in full control of the match as the middle-order batters made solid contributions, and the home team finished the game with a boundary.