What was the delivery of the day, Axar Patel cleaned up Jonny Bairstow on Day 1 of IND vs ENG 1st Test in Hyderabad. Bairstow looked stunned as his delivery spun away to clip the off-stump. The architect of the wicket, Axar Patel explained how he set up his target in the India vs England 1st Test.
“That delivery really came off well. We were talking if it turns from there then it would be great because the odd ball was turning. Bairstow took a stance on the fourth wicket to avoid the lbw. So, I thought of bowling at the stumps because he did cut a few shots close to the stumps. That was the plan and the one that turned from there was good and you would have seen my celebration,” Axar Patel said at the post-match press conference.
Axar Patel’s magical delivery
Jonny Bairstow, who had a torrid time on the last India tour, tried to block LBWs by taking a stance on the fourth stump. While it did work for most times, Axar Patel had other ideas.
What has become his signature delivery, Axar Patel bowled a fuller-length ball that should drift in. However, his 92.9kph delivery took a sharp turn away from Bairstow’s to beat his outside edge and hit the top of the off stump.
Axar Patel ended up with two wickets in the 13 overs he bowled and gave away only 33 runs. While he would have wanted to bowl more, Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin did most of the heavy lifting on a turning track on Day 1 of IND vs ENG 1st Test.
But Axar Patel who bagged 27 wickets in three matches in the last IND vs ENG series in 2021 is happy to play a supporting role.
“I know that if you are playing three spinners then one of them will get a lesser number of overs. They were also telling me what was happening on the wicket and what I should do. It is a privilege to bowl with them,” Axar said.
England folded for 246 with Ben Stokes launching a fightback. His 70-run knock was the only highlight of England innings. India ended Day 1 at 119/1 with Yashasvi Jaiswal taking the attack to the visitors. Jaiswal remained unbeaten on 76 off 70. Shubman Gill was the other batter to remain not out on 14. Rohit Sharma was dismissed for 24.
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