“Derek Underwood & Bishan Bedi rolled into one” - Michael Vaughan on Axar Patel
Former England captain Micheal Vaughan took a dig at the England cricket team for their inability to stand up to India’s left-arm spinner Axar Patel.
Playing in his debut Test series, Axar Patel claimed his fourth five-wicket haul in just his third Test match on Saturday. He dismissed Dom Bess, caught behind for 2, on Day 3 of the final Test in Ahmedabad to complete his five-for.
The 27-year-old finished with figures of 5 for 48 in 24 overs as England were rolled over for 135 in their second innings. India won the match by an innings and 25 runs to clinch the four-match series 3-1 and progress to the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
Taking to his Twitter account, Vaughan wrote that England have made Axar Patel look like 'Derek Underwood and Bishan Bedi rolled into one'.
After claiming four wickets in England’s first innings, Axar Patel ran through the visitors’ batting lineup in the second innings too, as Joe Root’s men hurtled towards another defeat.
The Axar Patel-Ravichandran Ashwin show
After India’s first innings ended on 365, with Washington Sundar remaining unbeaten on 96, India’s spin twins Axar Patel and Ravichandran Ashwin wreaked havoc.
Ashwin sent back Zak Crawley (5) and Jonny Bairstow (0) before Axar Patel joined in the fun. His first wicket came in bizarre fashion, as Dom Sibley (3) hit one to short-leg. The ball rebounded off the fielder’s knee, and Rishabh Pant did the rest.
Axar Patel next got the big wicket of Ben Stokes (2) as the England all-rounder lobbed one to Virat Kohli at leg slip. Ollie Pope (15) was stranded as he stepped out of his crease and completely missed the ball, leaving Pant to pull off an easy stumping.
Ben Foakes (13) was then caught in the slips before the wicket of Bess saw Axar Patel claim another five-for in the series. At the other end, Ashwin also completed a five-wicket haul, cleaning up Dan Lawrence, who made a well-compiled fifty.
After missing the first Test due to injury, Axar Patel finished the series with 27 wickets in three Tests. He claimed 2 for 4 and 5 for 60 on debut in Chennai and followed that up with 11 wickets in the pink-ball Test in Ahmedabad and nine in the final Test, also in Ahmedabad.