Axar Patel became the joint second-fastest bowler to pick five 5-wicket hauls in Test cricket, after running through the Kiwi middle order on Day 3 of the Kanpur Test.
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Young left-arm spinner Axar Patel gave a sneak peek of the dressing room atmosphere under head coach Rahul Dravid, saying he and stand-in captain Ajinkya Rahane maintained a calm environment even when wickets weren’t falling in New Zealand’s first innings.
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India battled hard in the first innings of the Kanpur Test as Tom Latham and Will Young stitched a 151-run opening stand, batting out close to 70 overs (66.1 overs) before R Ashwin struck in the first session of Day 3 by removing Young, 11 short of his hundred. Latham and Kane Williamson had a good second-wicket stand but Umesh Yadav got the New Zealand captain’s wicket just before Lunch on Saturday to peg the visitors back.
Axar Patel then ran through the New Zealand middle-order in the post-Lunch session as the visitors lost their last 9 wickets for just 99 runs. Axar picked up his fifth 5-wicket haul in just his 7th innings in Test cricket as India sealed a handy first-innings lead.
“Obviously, if you don’t get wicket for 67 overs, it’s tough but dressing room was calm as Ajju bhai and Rahul sir kept a calm environment. They said we have to keep patience because if we get one, we will get a few more and then we can make inroads,” Axar said.
32 wickets in only seven Tests innings is no mean feat and Axar Patel says the secret of his success lies in enjoying his craft and believing that he can’t be ‘pigeon-holed’ as a T20 specialist. Axar became the joint second-fastest bowler to pick five 5-wicket hauls in Test cricket and the latest came on a docile pitch where India bowlers had their work cut out.
“Whenever I have played first-class or India A, I have done well. I have never seen myself as a white ball specialist,” Patel made it clear that he doesn’t like being bracketed.
“It’s all in mind-set as to what you perceive yourself as a white ball specialist or red ball specialist. I always had the belief that whenever I get a chance I will do well.
“Obviously, I give credit to team members for having faith in me and I have been able to stand up to their expectations.”
But does he feel extra pressure that two world-class spinners in Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja are also in the same eleven?
“Whenever I go to the ground, I try and enjoy and not think about whether Ashwin bhai and Jaddu are there,” he made his thought-process clear.
“When I have ball in my hand, I just try and see to it that I am enjoying my bowling, trying to read the wicket and understand what’s happening, how it’s behaving and plan accordingly,” he said. (With PTI Inputs)
