India and England are engaged in the third Test match of the four-match series at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. The D/N pink-ball Test match is a crucial one for both teams in terms of ICC World Test Championship points table and chance to play New Zealand in the final at Lord’s.
England captain Joe Root won the match and decided to bat first on a new and fresh pitch. England decided to go in with four pacers in James Anderson, Jofra Archer, Stuart Broad, and Ben Stokes, with Jack Leach being the sole specialist spinner.
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India decided to go in with two pacers in Ishant Sharma, who is playing his 100th Test and Jasprit Bumrah and three spinners in R Ashwin, Akshar Patel and Washington Sundar.
Ishant had a great start to his 100th Test by removing Dom Sibley for a duck. Then the Indian spinners took over with Akshar Patel and R Ashwin routing the England batting with a terrific display of controlled spin bowling.
Zack Crawley was the best batsman on this pitch against spinners as well, making 53 runs, while captain Joe Root made 17.
Meanwhile, Akshar Patel made merry with the ball, picking 6/38, his second fifer in his second Test match. He got the wickets of Crawley, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Stokes, Ben Foakes, Stuart Broad, and Jofra Archer.
Ashwin also got 3/26 with wickets of Joe Root, Ollie Pope, and Jack Leach.
England was bowled out for 112 runs in their first innings.
Akshar became only the third Indian bowler to take five-wicket hauls in his first two Test matches. The cricket fraternity applauded Akshar Patel’s amazing bowling performance in Motera and took to Twitter to praise him.
Here are the tweets:
