Axar Patel had to wait for more than six years since his first India debut to play a Test match. The 27-year-old had made headlines with impressive returns in the IPL, which prompted the selectors to give him a go in the shorter formats of the game. However, with Ravindra Jadeja and R Ashwin ruling the Test circuit, Axar had to wait his turn to don the whites.
He finally got his chance in the second Test against England in Chennai, when he replaced Shahbaz Nadeem for a spot in the XI. With India 0-1 down after losing to England in the first Test, the pressure was on Axar to leave a mark, and little did he disappoint as he ended his maiden outing in Test cricket with a total haul of 7/100.
Nadeem had come in as a last-minute replacement for Axar after the latter had been injured on the morning of the first Test. Nadeem had not impressed: not only did he send down a number of no-balls but he let go of the pressure created by Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma and Ashwin. He sent down short-pitched balls that were put away for boundaries and was unable to get his line and length right throughout the first Test match.
Introduced in the ninth over of the first innings in the second Test, Axar immediately demonstrated why he belonged to this level. He sent down a length ball that spun away from Joe Root’s off stump whilst raising a puff of dust before Rishabh Pant collected it. He obtained fast turn and did not succumb even when Root chose to sweep him in Axar’s next over.
A couple of deliveries later, Axar tossed the ball up outside off. Root tried to sweep despite the presence of Ashwin at short fine leg, and produced an easy catch. Axar then managed to put new batsman Ben Stokes under pressure, constantly beating the all-rounder. He also beat Dan Lawrence’s inside edge with an arm ball that rushed the batsman. In just two overs, he had displayed his variety and beaten the rival batsmen, picking up the wicket of Root in the process.
In the second innings, he started off proceedings with a big turner as the revs on the flighted delivery beat Dom Sibley’s edge. He had Sibley moments later, as the batsman misread the length of a ball that skidded on. He complimented Ashwin beautifully in this phase, and did not allow the pressure to ease as the English batters sunk deeper and deeper.
He almost got Rory Burns with a straighter ball that had an extra hint of bounce; troubled Lawrence with a square turner that gripped onto the surface; and almost got an arm-ball to creep through Root’s defences in the 29th over of the second innings. The English batsmen were completely at sea against Axar. They failed to put bat to ball, and when they did, the ball found one of the edges from time to time. His variations and accuracy helped him finish with 5-60, excellent returns in any condition.
Axar bowled the right lines and lengths and kept things tight. That he did not bowl a single short-pitched ball or a full-toss is evidence of his control. On a helpful wicket at Chennai, he displayed his discipline and his skills and variety as a spinner, and he could very well be regarded as the third spinner in the team once Jadeja returns from injury.