Indian team won the second test match against Australia by six wickets in Border Gavaskar Trophy at Delhi. India’s left-arm spinner Axar Patel played an outstanding knock of 74 runs in the first inning while batting at 8th position.
He and Ravichandran Ashwin together added 114 runs for the eighth wicket with Ashwin’s 37 runs. Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon said Axar and Ashwin can easily bat at the top 6, in reply to Lyon’s comments Patel said it is nothing like that.
Lyon praised Axar and Ashwin’s batting performance in the second test match
“They are not lower order; Axar and Ash could easily bat in the top six anywhere in the world; they are not lower order; India have a long top order,” said the 35-year-old Lyon.
India was struggling on 136 for six wickets in the first innings of the Delhi test match when the left-arm spinner Patel came to bat. Axar and Ashwin joined the Indian innings on 139 runs for the loss of seven wickets, when Indian wicketkeeper KS Bharat was dismissed by off-spinner Lyon.
Axar replied back to Lyon’s praise of Indian lower-order batting
“Aisa koi baat nahi hai (nothing like that). It depends on the day, on the confidence level, and on the frame of mind. Like I just said, I came from white-ball cricket and was in good touch in the first match as well, so that is the level of confidence I am carrying forward. It eventually depends on how long you can maintain that consistency,” said left-handed batter Patel.
India’s squad for 3rd & 4th Test vs Australia
Rohit Sharma (C), KL Rahul, S Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, KS Bharat (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), R Ashwin, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, R Jadeja, Mohd Shami, Mohd Siraj, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, Umesh Yadav, Jaydev Unadkat
— BCCI (@BCCI) February 19, 2023
The bowling all-rounder Patel helped Men in Blue to win the first test match at Nagpur against Australia with his 84 runs. The Indian side is leading the four-test match series by 2-0 against the Pat-Cummins-led side.
Star Indian all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja was declared player of the match for his 10 wickets & 26 runs at the Delhi test match. Rohit Sharma-led side will take on the Baggy Greens on 1st March for the third test match at Indore.