Axar Patel has been impressive in the ongoing second Test between India and England so far. Picked in the squad as a like-for-like replacement for the injured Ravindra Jadeja, Axar was unable to take part in the first Test due to a knee injury that he suffered. Shahbaz Nadeem played in his place and failed to deliver as he erred in lines and lengths while also bowling a lot of no-balls.
Axar was handed his debut in the second test and the southpaw has been excellent with his bowling. He picked up the two crucial wickets of Joe Root and Moeen Ali in the first innings before dismissing Dom Sibley and Jack Leach in the second. His outings with the bat weren’t great but he did give a glimpse of his talent with an excellent shot that captain Virat Kohli enjoyed.
Axar Patel impresses Virat Kohli
In the 35th over of India’s second innings bowled by Moeen Ali, Axar Patel was greeted with a flat and quicker delivery to which he employed his wrists and hit it through mid-wicket for a four. Soon after he hit the boundary, captain Virat Kohli who was at the other end was seen applauding as the batting duo exchanged smiles.
Axar’s stay proved to be short-lived however, as he was dismissed by the same bowler while batting on 7. His dismissal didn’t hurt the Indians too much as the next batsman who walked in, Ravichandran Ashwin went on to hit a century and ensured that India set a huge target for England to chase.
