Published 18:11 IST, February 24th 2021
Axar Patel bags 5 wickets again as he and Ashwin pound England at Narendra Modi Stadium
Continuing from where he left at the Chepauk, Axar Patel playing his second Test for India, picked his second consecutive fifer in third Test on Wednesday
Spinning magic with the pink ball at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Wednesday, Team India's spin duo of Ravichandran Ashwin and Axar Patel wrecked complete carnage in the first innings of the third Test. Continuing from where he left at the Chepauk, Axar Patel playing his second Test for India, picked his second consecutive fifer as he skittled out England's half side. Meanwhile, veteran pacer Ravichandran Ashwin continued to jolt blows from the other end as England lost 8 wickets under just 100 runs.
Playing on his home ground, Patel swung into action early as he dismissed Jonny Bairstow early in the innings for a duck. The spinner then went on to dismiss the big fish - half-centurion Zak Crawley - who was also England's highest scorer in the first innings. Patel also trapped key all-rounder Ben Stokes, bowled Jofra Archer and dismissed Stuart Broad to pick his fifer.
Both the teams seem to have read the surface differently as England have fielded three seamers whereas India have opted for the services of Jasprit Bumrah and Ishant Sharma only. Kuldeep Yadav has been dropped after the second Test while Ravichandran Ashwin and Washington Sundar have been brought in along with Axar Patel to lead the spin attack. For England, Jofra Archer has returned after missing out on the second Test due to injury whereas veteran pacers Stuart Broad and James Anderson have also returned together for the pink-ball Test.
Ishant Sharma plays his 100th Test
Just ahead of the pink-ball Test at the grand Motera Stadium on Wednesday, Ishant Sharma was also felicitated by President Ram Nath Kovind and Home Minister Amit Shah on the occasion of his 100th Test. By achieving the feat, Ishant Sharma has now joined former India World Cup-winning skipper Kapil Dev as he became the second pacer after him to play a century of Test matches. The Indian team also gave Ishant a guard of honour just before play started in the Pink-ball Test against England. Leading the pace attack against England, Sharma swung into action quickly as he picked the first wicket early in the day to dismiss Dom Sibley for a duck.
India favourites to win: Ganguly
With the India-England series currently being levelled at 1-1, BCCI President Sourav Ganguly has thrown his weight behind the Men in Blue to take lead after the day-night Test at Ahmedabad. The BCCI President who missed the inauguration of the newly-built Motera stadium has said that Team India is 'favourite' to win the third Test. In the pink-ball Test which is currently underway, England has been dealt with early blows as India dismissed half of the touring side.
"Indian cricket has changed a lot and our cricketers have done so well. I am sure if we play well, we are going to win it. I generally don't predict but I feel India is favourite here," Ganguly told ANI.
Updated 18:11 IST, February 24th 2021