Axar Patel's all-round heroics in County debut, KL Rahul does a Dele Alli, and more - Cricket News of Today, 21st August 2018

For the first time in the ongoing Specsavers Test series between England and India at the former's home, the visiting side has managed to grab a stranglehold over the English, who have been dominant so far. It took the Indian side three test matches to finally exhibit their might, but they have finally done so, and quite extraordinarily too.

As play stretches on to Day four in the third Test match at Trent Bridge, England are in a tough pursuit of a mammoth 521-run target, after India declared at 352/7 in the third innings, adding so much to their 168-run first innings lead. England is now at a make-or-break position, at 173/4, needing 348 runs with six wickets in hand, and more than one day's play remaining.

While we allow the contest to move forward, here we bring you the latest and most trending news from the world of cricket, for today. Have a look:

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#5. Axar Patel shines on his County debut

To those who have witnessed all the trouble faced by the Indian batsmen to make runs in the ongoing in the England series, Axar Patel's performance yesterday may even make you wonder as to why he wasn't a part of the Test squad, seeing how well he negotiated the conditions in his County debut yesterday.

Axar scored an unbeaten 95 while batting at No. 7 on his county debut for Durham, just when his side was sniffing trouble at 144/5. It was just because he ran out of partners, that remained deprived of a century. Cardiff was always regarded as a hard surface to bat, and it was there that he batted with a strike rate of close to a hundred.

Patel smashed 12 fours and 2 sixes during his stay in the middle and his 61-run partnership with wicket-keeper Stuart Poynter (29) for the seventh wicket was key in putting Durham at an advantage, as the team concluded at a respectable 295.

Patel had exhibited good nick while bowling as well, prising out 2 wickets for only 10 runs in the first innings to restrict Glamorgan to 154 runs. In the second innings, he scalped a wicket in Glamorgan 111, earning his side an innings win.