Ahmedabad: Cricket fans during the third Test between India and England in Motera would have noticed that wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant often called Axar Patel ‘Wasim Bhai’ from behind the stumps. The Axar Patel, who won the Man of the Match award for his 11 wickets in India’s two-day 10-wicket win, explained the reason.
Talking to Murali Kartik during the post-match presentation, Axar Patel has finally solved the mystery behind the exclusive nickname.
“Whenever I bowl a fast arm-ball, it comes in quickly like Wasim Bhai this is the main reason why Rishabh Pant calls me Wasim Bhai. Ajinkya Rahane kept that name, now Rishabh has picked it up,” Axar said in the post-match presentation.
Axar Patel due to his stellar performance was awarded Man of the Match Award in pink ball Test. Playing on home ground, Axar Patel finished with figures of 11/70, the best-ever by a bowler bowling with the pink ball. His amazing performance in Ahmedabad followed what was an impressive access into Test cricket. Making his debut in the second Chennai Test, Axar Patel scalped seven wickets.
Meanwhile, spinners ruled the roost as India took a 2-1 lead in the four-match Test series with an emphatic 10-wicket win over England on the second day of the third match here on Wednesday. India needed to score only 49 runs for a win and openers Rohit Sharma (25 not out) and Shubman Gill (15 not out) scored those runs in 7.4 overs, even as the dusty pitch comes under scrutiny.
Indian spinners took 19 of the 20 England wickets to fall for a dominating performance at the newly constructed stadium with a pitch that was largely unknown. Sunil Gavaskar described it as a "challenging pitch.
(With inputs from IANS)
