|| India Correspondent ||
Team India got a good start in the first innings of the third Test against England where they successfully restricted the visitors within 112 runs on board. While the fast bowlers couldn’t do well, it was the spinners who sealed the deal. And, for India, it was left-arm spinner Axar Patel and veteran R Ashwin.
Patel was quite impressive with his 6-38 in his only his second Test, whereas Ashwin too bagged 3 scalps.
"When the fast bowlers were bowling there was a trough in the landing area so there was a problem the length of the ball right. So I had to come in early," said the left-arm spinner who is playing at his home venue. "I think the pink ball has glare which is why it was skidding off the wicket. Because of that I got leg-before wicket decision. I think the difference in pink and red ball was that the former was skidding more than the latter did at the Chennai wicket."
While the visitors became comfortable against the pace attack, India captain Virat Kohli introduced spin and Patel came to bowl in the seventh over. He used the chance well with a wicket of Jonny Bairstow on the very first ball of his first over. He eventually bowled 21.4 and bagged six wickets.
"When the ball is skidding, you try to bowl wicket to wicket. So (in that case) if somebody plays little back to a ball that is full, then you get leg before or bowled. I was talking to Ash (R Ashwin who took three wickets) and said that only one or two balls are turning, the rest are skidding. Our plan was to bowl wicket to wicket," Patel said. "I was trying to bowl fast because it was skidding more. New ball…I wanted to take advantage of. Old ball wasn't skidding that much."
However, The 27-year-old spinner was impressive in his first Test too when he claimed a five-wicket haul, which came in the second innings of the second Test. And, he said that fifer gave him the confidence to do well.
"I was confident because I had taken five wickets in the last match and I had confidence that I’d be able to bowl well with pink ball whether there is help or not. I knew I can put batsmen in trouble," he concluded.