Watch: Axar Patel claims 50th Test wicket, cleans up Travis Head for 90
India's left-arm spinner Axar Patel completed his 50th Test wicket by cleaning up Travis Head on day five of the fourth Test against Australia in Ahmedabad.
The 29-year-old became the quickest Indian left-arm bowler to reach the milestone. He got India the second wicket of the day when the left-handed Head went for an expansive drive through the covers.
The dismissal happenee a few minutes before the tea break as Axar came on for a new spell in the 60th over of the day. Head, batting on 90 and primed for a hundred, aimed for a boundary, but missed it completely as the ball hit the top of the off-stump.
It was also the all-rounder's third wicket of the series. Having played third fiddle to Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, he broke the 149-run partnership with Marnus Labuschagne.
Here's the video:
The Gujarat-born player played a pivotal role in India's first-innings of 571 in Ahmedabad, scoring 79 before left-arm pacer Mitchell Starc castled him. He shared a 162-run stand with Virat Kohli to take the hosts past Australia's total of 480 and 91 runs ahead. The tourists bowled India out for 571 after Virat Kohli's masterly 186.
Axar Patel is India's second-highest run-getter in four-Test series
Meanwhile, the 29-year-old is also India's second-highest run-getter in the series, accumulating 264 runs in five innings at an average of 88 with three fifties and a highest of 84. Axar's 74 in the first innings of the second Test in Delhi was his pivotal knock in the series, as he had walked out to bat when the hosts were trailing Australia by 128 runs.
He added over 100 runs with Ravichandran Ashwin to drag the Men in Blue to 262 against Australia's 263 as India took a 2-0 lead. With New Zealand beating Sri Lanka in the first Test by two wickets, India have also qualified for the World Test Championship final. Rohit Sharma and co. will face Australia in the WTC decider at The Ovall on June 7.