Spinners Create Chaos in Ahmedabad | India vs England 3rd Test Match Review |

 

Well let's be honest, no one was expecting this article to arrive this early given that the 3rd Test match between India and England started a couple of days ago, but given the circumstances, here we are. The Test format is generally played between two sides for 5 consecutive days but this one ended right after the second session of Day 2. What exactly went down in these two days? How did the Pink Ball become a major factor? How were the pitch and other criterias equally responsible? Read the full article to find out just how. 

Playing XI : England made four changes to the side with Jonny Bairstow, Zak Crawley, Jimmy Anderson and Jofra Archer all in for Rory Burns, Daniel Lawrence, Olly Stone and Moeen Ali. The hosts, on the other hand, had made just 2 bowling changes. Washington Sundar and Jasprit Bumrah were back in the side after missing out on the second test match while there was no place for Mohammad Siraj and Kuldeep Yadav. 

England 1st Innings : AXAR PUTS THE VISITORS IN A STATE OF FRENZY

After winning the toss, skipper Joe Root had no hesitation in batting first, taking into consideration the importance of the toss in the previous two matches. The English openers were welcomed by a motivated bowling attack. Ishant Sharma; playing his 100th Test Match, drew first blood, removing Dom Sibley early for 0 before the spinners, Axar and Ashwin joined the party. Axar removed Bairstow (0) from the middle before Captain Root came out to bat. Root and Crawley played responsible cricket and put up a 47-run stand before Root was dismissed for 17 by Ashwin. Crawley went on to score a half-century (53) but was soon dismissed by the man with the golden arm, Axar Patel. With England struggling at 80-4, the spin duo of Axar and Ashwin strangled the remains of the batting lineup and dispatched the English lower middle and tailenders, restricting England to a below par total of 112. Apart from Root and Crawley, only Ben Foakes and Jofra Archer could get double digit runs which perfectly describes the chaos created by the Axar-Ashwin connection. The duo continously and meticulously bowled 35+ overs together, with local boy Axar registering figures of 21.4-6-38-6. Ravi Ashwin on the other hand, got figures of 16-6-26-3, dominating the batting lineup. 

India 1st Innings : ENGLAND STRIKE LATE, BUT STRIKE HARD 

The Broad-Anderson duo welcomed the Indian openers with great in and out swinging deliveries. They had an okay-ish start before Shubman Gill was dismissed by Jofra Archer for 11. Jack Leach removed Pujara for 0 as India looked to be in a risky state, stuck at 34-2. Skipper Virat and Rohit Sharma played through the twilight period and through the third session until Jack Leach finally had his say right before stumps, bowling out Kohli for 27. Rohit and Rahane walked to bat in the afternoon of Day 2 and apart from a few decent shots from Sharma, England completely dominated the game. It all began with Rahane's dismissal for 7 followed by that of Rohit Sharma (66) by Jack Leach as India went from cruising at 98-2 to struggling at 115-5. Joe Root came to bowl and single handedly took out the rest of the batting lineup halting India's run at just 145. Only Ashwin and Ishant could get to double figures on Day 2, which describes how the Indian batting collapsed ahead of spin. Jack Leach registered figures of 20-2-54-4 whereas skipper Root got a 5-fer, registering figures of 6.2-3-8-5. The game was hanging in the balance for both the teams but what followed next was quite memorable to say the least.

England 2nd Innings : AXAR and ASHWIN FIRE ON EVERY CYLINDER

Crawley and Sibley came out to bat as England looked to ride the momentum gained in the previous innings in an effort to get a massive lead but as soon as the first ball was bowled, it became immediately apparent that the Indian spinners were just too good for them at that point. Axar removed Crawley in the very first ball of the innings and also dismissed Bairstow in the third ball, sending shockwaves through the English camp. Hometown Hero Axar also dismissed Dominic Sibley (7) before Stokes and Root tried to hold their nerves and bat till they could. They took England's total above 50 but the both of them were dismissed shortly after (Root 19 & Stokes 25) by the Axar-Ashwin duo. At 56-5 and already on their knees, England was bowled out by the hosts at just 81, having a lead of just 48 runs. Axar Patel got yet another 5-wicket haul, registering figures of 15-2-32-5 while Ashwin registered figures of 15-3-48-4. The duo was so good at their job that Ishant and Bumrah didn't even get a chance to bowl.

India 2nd Innings : FORMALITY

Rohit Sharma (25*) and Shubman Gill (15*) were enough to chase down the small target ahead of them as India registered a 10-wicket win against England, going 2-1 against them in the 4 match series with a match still to be played. The bowlers tried hard but stopping India under 49 in India is beyond impossible, no matter the circumstances. 

CONCLUSION : Indian pitches have been a subject of widespread criticism for being too spin friendly and having very less scope for pacers and batsmen. Yes, it was a tough track but as Kohli summed it up, both teams looked a little hurried for reasons unknown. The spinners had the batsmen conditioned to play for the spin, only to miss the straighter ones at regular intervals. The pink ball also played an important role in helping things wrap up within two days. Irrespective of how fast the result came, both the teams shouldn't be content from their performances. Both the teams have to work on their middle order batting as well as come up with improved measures to play the straighter balls from the spinners. Kudos to the spinners, they really worked their hearts out, bowling 20+ over spells at a stretch, helping their respective teams get valuable wickets. 

Man of the Match - Axar Patel (21.4-6-26-6 and 15-2-32-5)

Important & Interesting Facts :

1. Ishant Sharma played his 100th Test Match, becoming the fourth Indian bowler to achieve the feat after Harbhajan Singh, Anil Kumble and Kapil Dev.

2. Ravichandran Ashwin became the second fastest bowler to pick 400 Test Wickets, taking just 77 Test Matches to achieve that feat.

3. With three 5-wicket hauls in 2 Test Matches, Axar Patel now has more 5-wicket hauls than Andrew Flintoff!