"Eat-Sleep-5-wicket haul-Repeat!"- Twitterati hails Axar Patel after another sensational performance
Axar Patel had a fairytale ending to an incredible debut Test series, as he picked up his fourth five-wicket haul in just his third game. His efforts helped India beat England by an innings and 25 runs in the finale to win the four-match series 3-1.
The 27-year-old seamlessly filled the huge void of Ravindra Jadeja's absence and picked up an incredible 27 wickets from just 3 games. It is difficult to remember the last time an Indian bowler had such an incredible debut Test series.
Fans on Twitter laud Axar Patel on his incredible performance
Making an impact even bigger than what Ravichandran Ashwin did in a home series is no mean feat. Thus, fans on Twitter hailed Axar Patel for his sensational performance. They believe he is one of the main reasons why Team India won the series 3-1.
Here is what the fans had to say about Axar Patel's stupendous performance with the ball:
Following the highs of a historic Test series win against Australia at the Gabba, Team India came crashing down to a 227-run defeat at the hands of England in the first Test. The hosts needed to win at least two out of the remaining three Tests and avoid defeat to make it to the World Test Championship Final.
With Jadeja missing out from the Indian team due to injury, Joe Root and his men were fancying an unlikely series win. However, Axar Patel proved to be the X-factor for the hosts and added to the incredible depth India had in their spin department.
After impressing with the ball, he also scored a crucial 43 in the fourth Test and proved his ability with the bat. His partnership with Washington Sundar was instrumental in India taking a huge lead of 160 runs.
Sibley, Stokes, Pope, Foakes, Bess - no one had any answer to the turn and bounce Axar Patel was extracting from the surface. Daniel Lawrence was perhaps the only England batsman to show some spine in tackling the Indian spinners, scoring a fighting half-century.
However, it couldn't change the inevitable and India ended up winning the fourth Test. They have thus confirmed their place in the World Test Championship Final against New Zealand.