England spin off the track
Home boy Axar Patel scalps six, Ashwin bags three as visitors collapse on first day of crucial third Test
AHMEDABAD: In the middle of a bright orange-and-yellow dash provided by the seats at what now is the Narendra Modi Stadium, the pink ball looked like an enticing cherry from afar, yet dangerous for those who faced it. Complementing the palette was the brown puffs of dust the spikes threw up every time the batsman moved his feet, from the first session.
Yet, in the midst of the splash of colour in the day-night Test on Wednesday, it was England’s drab batting that stuck out. Felled by the demons their minds created on a dry pitch, they were trapped in the web spun by left-arm spinner Axar Patel—he took a career-best 6/38 after a fifer on debut in Chennai—and R Ashwin (3/26). The visitors’ fight was over before the tricky twilight phase for batsmen set in properly, the innings collapsing from 74/2 to 112 all out in the first innings after England skipper Joe Root had elected to bat in the third Test. By the end of the day, the figures had justified India’s decision to play three spinners though the third, Washington Sundar, picked in place of Kuldeep Yadav, did not get an over. Such was the impact of Patel and Ashwin, who kept it tight in tandem, England batsmen had no escape route. Contrary to the norm in D/N Tests, the green tinge on the pitch was deceiving. The hot weather ensured the popping crease on either end gave the impression of a dust bowl. There was the odd bounce too, which sometimes allowed great carry while on occasions the ball dipped in front of the keeper. There was turn as well as movement. But it was nothing close to a devilish strip that England’s score might suggest. They got done in by straight deliveries, beaten playing for the turn. To Patel and Ashwin’s credit, they extracted spin, forcing the opposition to stay put in the crease and add pressure on themselves. The proceedings of the second Test in Chennai would have been fresh on their mind when the spin duo had called the shots on a turner. Patel was pleased his arm ball had great effect. “I learned it on my own. Also, my time with V Venkataram sir at the NCA helped me hone it. I started as a fast bowler but then shifted to spin due to problem in my knee. That’s why speed is more, which helped me today. The ball was skidding too, which helped me.”
Barring opener Zak Crawley, whose drives raised the heat in daylight, no other England batsmen looked like taking the attack to the opposition. They neither stepped out to hit the ball nor used the sweep shot. With each falling wicket, England batsmen went further into a cocoon, and suffered. Local boy Patel, and Ashwin, who is three short of becoming the fourth Indian bowler to reach 400 Test wickets, set up the batsmen over after over with turn and variations.
Changing the pace and angles, they lured the England batsmen into believing the next delivery would be vicious.
And just when England batsmen got too cautious against the turn, the spin duo snuck in a straight one, every time with success. The procession started with Patel’s first ball of the day, after Ishant had sent back opener Dom Sibley with a delivery that held the line and kissed the edge of the bat, Rohit Sharma taking a sharp catch at slips.
The left-arm spinner whizzed one towards the middle stump that drew Jonny Bairstow forward. He wanted to negate the turn that was not there. The ball stayed straight and struck the pad. May be the speed of the delivery beat him, but Patel was on course for his second fifer in three innings.
India ended the day on 99/3, trailing by 13 runs.