Ind vs Eng 3rd Test, Match Report: Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin Knock England Out of WTC Final Race as India Take 2-1 Lead

India knocks England out of WTC final race.

After the success in Chennai, Axar Patel and Ravichandran Ashwin starred once again as they helped India beat England by 10 wickets on Thursday at the Motera in Ahmedabad. Both Axar and Ashwin started off from where they left in the second Test in Chennai as they picked 18 out of the 20 English wickets among them to wrap up the game in under two days.

First, it started with the English batting collapse on the first day after they won the toss. The tourists were shot out for 112 runs as local hero Axar picked up six wickets. Ashwin chipped in with three while 100th Test man Ishant Sharma got things started with the first wicket of Dom Sibley in the first over of the match and that set the tone.

For England, Zak Crawley playing his first game of the tour, showed class as he hit a brilliant 53 before he was trapped in front.

In command of the match, Indian openers had the duty of ensuring India do not lose wickets till the end of the day. Unfortunately, the hosts lost the wicket of Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, and the prized scalp of the India skipper Virat Kohli in the last over of the day.

Looking down the barrel on day two, the English skipper came up with the goods – not with the bat but the ball. Root picked up his first five-wicket haul in Tests. Leach chipped in with four wickets as well as India was bundled out for 145. The hosts took a crucial 33-run lead. That lead proved to be decisive as India returned the favour as they bowled out England in 190 balls.

Ashwin became the fastest Indian to reach 400 Test wickets during the match, while Axar Patel’s 11 wickets for the match is the most in a Day-Night Test ever.