Axar Patel takes sly dig at Australia; 'Till the time we bat the pitch will play well'

After an impressive display with both bat and ball, Axar Patel makes his presence felt on the mic as well. The bowling all-rounder, who went not out at the end of Day 2 of the Nagpur Test, took a crafty dig at the Aussies over the row over the pitch that was fueled by Australian experts. Axar Patel has amassed 52 runs before the stumps on Day 2.

Before the start of the first Test between India and Australia, various opinions regarding how the pitch will play at the VCA stadium dominated the headlines. The topic picked more attention specifically from Australian experts and media when the visual of the surface came out showcasing a dry patch, that seemingly gave an impression that left-handers would find it difficult to bat on this turf. With 7 of the 11 players of the Aus squad left-handers, the voices from down under about India doctoring the pitch reverberated. However, as the action began it evidently became clear that the pitch is not a rank turner by any means. Australia though struggled to find their stride in the first innings and could only gather 177 runs. In reply, India at 321/7 is sitting in a commanding position before the start of Day 3, leading the visitors by 144 runs. Moreover, it is the left-handers of India who are at the crease and have so far assembled 81 runs. 

Speaking about the scenario of the match, Axar Patel made a comical statement on what has unfolded till now. “Till the time we bat tomorrow the pitch will play well, and when we get the chance to bowl – we’ll find help (laughs),” Axar said.

India Vs Australia: Nagpur Test Day 2 summary

On day 2 India continued from 77/1. Captain Rohit Sharma and Ravichandran Ashwin, who came in as a nightwatchman at the end of the first day, took India past the 100-run mark comfortably. However, as the partnership was beginning to take the game away from Australia, Ashwin fell to Todd Murphy. Afterwards, wickets continue to fall at regular intervals, yet Sharma went strong from one end. In the process, Rohit scored his maiden 100 against Australia. He also eventually got out not before taking India past the total of Australia. Just as it looked that Australia is not completely out of the game, Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel came together to formulate an unbeaten 81 runs. As a result India currently stands at 321/7, leading by 144 runs. For Australia, Todd Murphy turned out to be the knight in shining armour as he has picked five-for on debut.