Axar Patel shines after registering 3rd consecutive 5-wicket haul in his 2nd Test match

Continuing from where he had left off in the previous Test match at Chepauk and Day 1 of the ongoing third Test match in Ahmedabad's Narendra Modi Stadium, left-arm spinner Axar Patel made the most of the rank-turner on his home ground as he registered yet another five-wicket haul to bundle England out cheaply on Day 2 of the pink-ball Test.

A hat-trick of fifers of Axar Patel

On a raging turner, Patel made the ball talk and also provided timely breakthroughs for India at regular intervals as the English batsmen failed to judge the spinner's line, length, as well as accuracy as they were left bamboozled. The frontline spinner ran through the visitors' top and middle-order to trigger a batting collapse in the second innings. He accounted for the likes of Zak Crawley, Dom Sibley, Jonny Bairstow, skipper Joe Root, and wicket-keeper batsman Ben Foakes to register yet another impressive five-wicket haul. 

The southpaw has now registered a second straight five-wicket haul in two days and at the same time, he has also registered a hat-trick of fifers in the ongoing Test series. At the same time, this is also Patel's third consecutive fifer in his Test career and what is really surprising is that this is only his second Test match. 

The Gujarat cricketer finished with figures of 5/32 from his 15 overs at an economy rate of 2.13. 

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Indian spinners bundle England out for 81

England who looked to reduce their deficit in the second innings could never really manage to accelerate as they kept losing wickets at regular intervals with India's frontline spinners doing all the damage and surprisingly, all the Indian pacers went wicketless in the second innings. Apart from Axar, veteran offie Ravichandran Ashwin (4/48), and, Washinton Sundar chipped in with a wicket as the Joe Root-led side was bundled out for only 81 with a 48-run lead.

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India now need 49 runs on a rank-turner to go 2-1 up in the four-match series as the English spinners will now be hoping to spin a web around the Indian batsmen. The hosts are 11/0 at dinner break. 

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