Ashish Nehra, former Indian pacer was impressed by what he saw of Axar Patel, pointing out how the left-arm spinner did not repeat the same mistake as Shahbaz Nadeem did in the 1st Test and complimented fellow spinner Ravichandran Ashwin well throughout the Test by returning with figures of 2/40 and 5/60 in the two innings.
Ravichandran Ashwin who played on his home ground lit up the Test by taking a five-wicket-haul in the first innings which was the 29th of his career and made it even more memorable by scoring a century in India’s second innings. Fittingly, he was adjudged Player of the Match for his scintillating all-round performance.
Ashish Nehra: Axar Patel Didn’t Repeat Mistakes Committed By Shahbaz Nadeem
However, another bowler who made a big impact was a left-arm spinner, Axar Patel. Making his Test debut, Axar Patel rocked England’s second innings, picking up 5/60 to bundle them out for 164, chasing 482 to win.
Axar Patel was in line to make his debut in the first Test which India lost but was ruled out due to a knee injury. His replacement Shahbaz Nadeem appeared toothless in his bowling picking 2/167 and 2/66 in the match. However, when Axar Patel got an opportunity to debut in the 2nd Test, he did not disappoint.
“Axar Patel grabbed the chance that Shahbaz Nadeem let go of when he played because of Axar’s injury. But Axar Patel did not make the same mistake. We repeatedly said that the conditions were favourable for spin bowling but still you need to bowl and take the wickets by showing the consistency,” Ashish Nehra said on Star Sports.
Axar Patel’s 5/60 made him the ninth India bowler to pick up a five-wicket haul on debut and the sixth Indian spinner after VV Kumar, Dilip Doshi, Narendra Hirwani, Ravichandran Ashwin, and Amit Mishra.
Ashish Nehra: Experience Of Domestic Cricket Was Evident As He Kept Bowling At The Same Spot
Axar Patel made his ODI debut in 2014, followed by his first T20I game a year later. It took the left-arm spinner six years to finally break into the Test team.
Axar Patel who plays for Gujarat has 141 scalps from 40 first-class appearances besides 169 List A and 127 T20 scalps from 133 and 151 appearances.
“The experience of domestic cricket was clearly evident as he did what he knows, he kept bowling at the same spot. We had discussed earlier as well that Ravichandran Ashwin was there in any case with the experience but Axar Patel can also take five wickets and he did that,” added Ashish Nehra.