The third Test of the four-match series between India and England ended in a comprehensive 10-wicket win for the hosts in Ahmedabad. Thursday’s win gave India a 2-1 lead and they will look forward to continuing that momentum when they clash in the fourth and final Test at the same venue.
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Much has been said and written about the recently concluded third Test. Much of the credit goes to local lad Axar Patel. The left-hand orthodox bowler finished with career-best figures of 11 wickets in the game. Patel, playing in only his second Test, picked up 11 wickets, six in the first innings and five in the second at his home ground. He became the first bowler in the game’s history to claim a five-wicket haul in both innings of a day-night Test.
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The record notching spinner said that he would want the wickets to remain the same for the fourth and final Test match of the series. Speaking in a post-match interview, Patel said that he’s not thinking much about his match-winning achievement, but it “feels easy when it happens.” The 27-year-old added that he’s happy by contributing with the bat, he is doing ‘it with the ball.”My strength is to bowl wicket-to-wicket and not give batsmen room,” Patel added.
“The mindset of batters is they play out a couple of maidens, they either go for a sweep or try to hit over the infield. I would want this wicket to remain the same for the final Test as well as I am picking up wickets,” he said.
The English batsmen failed to click against the spin of Patel and his senior partner Ravichandran Ashwin, who picked four wickets to finish with seven in the game. The comprehensive victory not only gave the hosts a lead in the series but also pushed England out of the race for a place in the final of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC).
Post the Ahmedabad loss, England dropped to 64.1 percentage points on the ICC Test points table, while India topped it with 71 percentage points. Team India need to avoid losing the final Test to stay ahead of Australia, who are in third place with 69.2 percentage points, and qualify for the finals.
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