Axar Patel has been a standout performer for the hosts in the IND vs ENG 1st Test. Despite taking two wickets it was his ball of the day that dismissed set batter Jonny Bairstow. After stumps on Day 1 he addressed the media claiming that the wicket was slow. He further added that some of the balls were spinning while the others were not.
Axar Patel believes that India did well and commanded the game to restrict England for just 246 runs. It was the Indian spinners who wreaked havoc on Day 1. Indian spinners managed to scalp 8 wickets while England managed just 1 via Jack Leach.
“We knew that the wicket was good, and some balls were spinning while others were not. The wicket is slow, but we are able to adjust. I think 246 is a good total that we restricted England to, and the plan was to play normal cricket and not try anything different,” Axar said at the post-match press conference.
Axar asserted that he wanted to play normal cricket and didn’t want to do anything out of the ordinary. He claimed that the wicket isn’t spinning extremely and thus it is a challenge for both batters and bowlers.
“The wicket isn’t spinning viciously, and it’s normal. As I said, it’s slow, but the ball isn’t skidding, and we are able to adjust. It’s a challenging wicket for both bowlers and batsmen, as we need to maintain a good line and length; otherwise, with a quick outfield, we will leak runs. Similarly, for the batsmen, they need to adjust, and then runs will come,” Axar added.