AHMEDABAD: Left-arm spinner Axar Patel created an illusion of turn with 11 straighter deliveries that put India on the brink of the World Test Championship final with a 10-wicket demolition of England inside two days in the day-night third Test here on Thursday.

In only his second Test, Patel (15-0-32-5), with a match haul of 11/70, relentlessly hit the good length area and hoodwinked England batsmen, who played for turn only to find that there was none on offer from him.

The result was their lowest total against India — 81 all out in 30.4 overs leaving the hosts with a target of 49 which they achieved with minimum fuss taking a 2-1 lead in the four-match series.

At the other end, off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin (15-3-48-4) was an ideal foil, becoming the fourth Indian bowler and second fastest in the world to complete a commendable milestone of 400 Test wickets with the dismissal of Jofra Archer.

Incidentally, after Afghanistan’s debut Test in 2018 in Bengaluru, this was the second time that India won a Test match, well inside two days.

This was after England skipper Joe Root’s fabulous career-best spell of 6.2-3-8-5 resulted in India’s dramatic collapse from 114 for 3 to 145 all out.

India lost as many as seven wickets for only 31 runs after looking solid at 114 for 3 at one stage in the game but England lost all 10 in an entire session in which no pacer was seen in action.

Ironically, it was the non-turning deliveries from Patel that had the England’s rank and file pressing the panic button as they pre-empted away turn every time.

Whether it was Zak Crawley, Jonny Bairstow or skipper Root, everyone lost the mind-game as Ashwin also joined the fun with records tumbling one after another.

When Patel sent back Ben Foakes, he became the first spinner to get 11 wickets in a pink ball Test match.

Following the two-day finish, ICC will be watching the Motera track with a ‘Hawk Eye’ even though the debate can continue for ages whether it was the turn that did the batsmen in or the lack of it.

The turn on offer was standard for any sub-continental track and no deliveries misbehaved.

However, all eyes will now be on ICC match referee Javagal Srinath from India and his assessment of the 22-yard strip.

A case in point would be the wickets taken by the two left-arm spinners — Patel and Jack Leach.

They bowled deliveries at a speed between 88 kmph and 92 kmph with a round arm action and pitched them on good length leaving batsmen in two minds — whether to play forward or go backwards.

While a bowler might end up getting the man of the match, Rohit Sharma’s 66 off 96 balls in the first essay was 24-carat gold given that other batsmen looked like sitting ducks.

But Indian batsmen save Rohit did have a torrid time during an afternoon session when Root and Leach made their lives miserable.

Ajinkya Rahane, who has never had much success against slow left arm bowlers, was rapped on the pads as Leach fired one in and it was not much of an issue for umpire Nitin Menon to adjudge him leg before.

Suddenly, a pitch, on which India looked way more comfortable, started to challenge and just like England in the second session on the first evening, the Indians wilted under pressure.

Rohit missed a sweep off Leach and Menon’s decision was retained as per Umpires’ Call.

Once Rohit was gone, it was time for Root to enter the scene and do a Michael Clarke (6/9 with his left arm orthodox in Mumbai 2004) as Rishabh Pant (1), Washington Sundar (0) and Patel (0) were accounted for in quick succession.

At one point, Root’s figures were 3-3-0-3 as he exploited the friendly conditions, repeatedly hitting the rough which helped him dismiss three left-handers in succession.

Root’s superb effort led to a cheeky tweet from former England captain Michael Vaughan, “Indian batsman can’t play off spinners from Yorkshire.

” He was referring to the green top strips that are always on offer at the Leeds.

Ravichandran Ashwin (17) and Ishant Sharma (10 not out), who hit his first ever six in his 100th Test appearance, scored a few which proved to be priceless in the end.

India need to win the fourth and final Test at the same venue from March 4 to seal the WTC final spot.

Brief Scores:

England: 112 and 81 in 30.4 overs (Ben Stokes 25, Axar Patel 5/32, Ravichandra Ashwin 4/48).

India: 145 all out and 49 for no loss in 7.4 overs (Rohit Sharma 25 not out, Shubman Gill 15 not out).

Arjun, who is the son of former legendary batsman Sachin Tendulkar, was bought by Mumbai Indians for Rs 20 lakhs in the mini-auction of IPL on Thursday.

CHENNAI: Mumbai Indians head coach Mahela Jayawardene said that the side picked Arjun Tendulkar purely on the basis of his skill sets.

Arjun, who is the son of former legendary batsman Sachin Tendulkar, was bought by Mumbai Indians for Rs 20 lakhs in the mini-auction of IPL on Thursday.

Jayawardene said the stint with Mumbai Indians will be a learning process for Arjun. The former Sri Lanka skipper also said the 21-year-old left-arm medium-pacer will learn and evolve his game with time.

“We’ve looked at it purely on a skill basis. I mean, there is going to be a big tag on his head because of Sachin. But, luckily, he’s a bowler, not a batsman. So I think Sachin will be very proud if he could bowl like Arjun,” ESPNcricinfo quoted Jayawardene as saying.

“I think it’s going to be a learning process for Arjun. He just started playing for Mumbai, and now the franchise. He will learn the ropes; he will evolve. He’s still young. A very focused young man,” he further said.

“We have to give him time and hopefully not put a lot of pressure on him either. Just let him evolve and work his way up, and that’s what we’re there to help him to do,” Jayawardene added.

Arjun was also the Mumbai Indians net bowler during the IPL 2020 and was the last player to be bought in the IPL auction on Thursday.

“I have spent a lot of time in the nets, trying to teach him some tricks of the trade, he is a hardworking kid, he is keen on learning, it is an exciting part. The added pressure of being Sachin Tendulkar’s son will always be on him, it is something he needs to live with, the environment of the team will help him. It will help him become a good cricketer, how many times a youngster gets picked in the auction and everyone is talking about him, he has to prove himself and he has to show everyone he has the goods,” said Mumbai Indians’ Director of Cricket Operations, Zaheer Khan during a virtual press conference.

In the players’ auction held on Thursday, defending champions Mumbai Indians also picked up, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Jimmy Neesham, Yudhvir Charak, Marco Jansen, and Piyush Chawla.

When asked about acquiring all-rounder Jimmy Neesham, Zaheer said: “He is someone who has capabilities of a good all-rounder, it is all about timing, we have timed it well. Neesham has the capabilities and that is what we all think, hence the opportunity. It is all about timing, it is all about getting a chance to prove yourself.”

New Delhi: Kings XI Punjab were on Wednesday renamed as Punjab Kings ahead of the 2021 IPL auction on Thursday in Chennai. PTI had reported of the name change on February 15. A new logo was also unveiled on Wednesday.

Speaking about the new brand identity, team CEO Satish Menon said: “Punjab Kings is a more evolved brand name, and we understand it was a right time for us to move focus on the core brand itself.”

“The change in brand identity is not about changing our brand ethos but celebrating our one-ness as we stand in unit like a family. The new logo honors the liveliness and vibrancy of the brand and provides modern elements, while we stand out from rest of the teams.”

The franchise, jointly owned by Mohit Burman, Ness Wadia, Preity Zinta and Karan Paul, is yet to win an IPL title since the event’s inaugural edition in 2008.

In the tournament’s 13-year history, Kings were runners-up once (2014) and achieved a third-place finish on another occasion (2008). They finished sixth in the 2020 edition, held in the UAE.

The next IPL is set to start in the second week of April.

Chennai: Senior off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin on Sunday surpassed Harbhajan Singh to become the second highest wicket-taker in Tests played in India.

Ashwin got past Harbhajan, who took 265 wickets at an average of 28.76, by dismissing Ben Stokes with a perfect off-spinner on the second day of the second Test against England here. Ashwin’s average is 22.67.

Spin legend Anil Kumble is the leading wicket-taker in India with 350 scalps at 24.88. He is also India’s leading wicket-takers in Tests with 619 scalps to his game.

Harbhajan is third in the standings with 417 wickets and Ashwin, who is inching towards the 400-wicket mark, is fourth. The legendary Kapil Dev is second with 434 wickets.

Chennai: India were bowled out for 329 in their first innings on day two of the second Test against England here on Sunday.

Resuming the day at 300/6, India batted for 7.5 overs with Pant scoring an unbeaten 58 off 77 balls. With the tail not able to contribute much, the southpaw eventually ran out of partners.

Brief scores: 

India 1st Inn: 329 all out in 95.5 overs (Rohit Sharma 161, Ajinkya Rahane 67, Rishabh Pant 58 not out; Olly Stone 3/47, Moeen Ali 4/128).

Kolkata Veteran India and Bengal pacer Ashoke Dinda on Tuesday announced his retirement from all formats of cricket, bringing the curtains down on a career spanning one and a half decade.

The 36-year-old, who had featured in 13 ODIs and nine T20Is for India, had moved to Goa at the start of this season after facing disciplinary action after playing only one Ranji Trophy match in 2019-20.

For Goa, he played three three Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy matches before realising that his body was not supporting him anymore.

“Today, I am retiring from all formats of cricket. I have sent the mails to BCCI and GCA to this effect,” Dinda said during a media interaction at Eden Gardens.

Dinda thanked BCCI president and former India captain Sourav Ganguly for going out of his way and giving him a debut against Maharashtra at Pune in the 2005-06 season.

Dinda also represented Delhi Daredevils, Kolkata Knight Riders, Pune Warriors, Rising Pune Supergiants and Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League.

In 78 IPL games, Dinda picked up 68 wickets at a strike rate of 22.20 and an economy rate of 8.22, with his best figures being 4/18.

“There have been several people who have helped me throughout my career whom I would like to thank beginning with my parents.

“Then it’s Dada (Sourav Ganguly). It was because of him that I got to play for Bengal. I was not in the squad but he included me as a 16th member and handed me a debut,” Dinda remembered.

One of the most consistent pacers in Indian domestic cricket in the recent past, Dinda, who has 420 wickets from 116 first-class matches, is the second leading wicket-taker for Bengal after former left-arm spinner Utpal Chatterjee.

He was presented with a silver plaque and a bouquet and was thanked for his contribution by Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) president Avishek Dalmiya, secretary Snehashis Ganguly and joint secretary Debabrata Das.

“The contribution of Dinda is enormous. He is one of the best fast bowlers we have produced. He will be remembered for his ability to take wickets and win matches, bowl long spells and his never-say-die spirit,” Dalmiya said.

Brisbane: Shubman Gill announced his arrival on the global stage with a sublime 91 while Cheteshwar Pujara surpassed all pain threshold barriers to keep India on course for a challenging 328-run target, taking the score to 183/3 at tea on the final day of the fourth Test here on Tuesday.

Skipper Ajinkya Rahane (24 off 22 balls) looked good before Pat Cummins (2/22 in 17 overs) dismissed him to keep Australia in hunt during an engrossing session of a high quality Test match.

Gill on Tuesday showed he is there to rule world cricket despite missing out on a hundred as his disdainful treatment of Mitchell Starc will be remembered for a long time.

Pujara, on the other hand, saw Australian try out a menacing short ball tactic. He took a few on the helmet, a few more on the chest and other parts and a painful one on the knuckles to remain unfazed on 43 off 168 balls as India need to either score 145 runs or bat out another 37 overs to regain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

With Rishabh Pant (10 batting, 23 balls) for company, India might just take a sneak peek at that target during the final session.

The first two sessions were about different school of batsmanship where Gill and Pujara showed that there are multiple ways to skin a cat and no two ways are similar.

If Pujara was ready to duck, sway and cop body blows off Hazlewood and Cummins, showing the art of survival, young Gill, on his first tour of Australia was ready to take the intimidatory tactic head on by bringing the pull shot out of his repertoire.

The duo during its 114-run stand showed that very contrasting styles can can co-exist without conflict even as fans of both genres can have a field day on social media arguing which is the more appropriate approach.

The fifth day pitch at the Gabba seemed to be pretty flat with not much help for the Australia pacers as Gill played a few cut shots and comfortably drove on the up.

With no lateral movement either in the air or off the pitch, Gill looked comfortable with his “playing beside the line of the ball” technique.

Against the ‘100 Test man’ Nathan Lyon, Gill came down the track to hit a flowing cover drive even as the seasoned off-spinner’s tactic of not having close-in fielders on the off-side invited sharp criticism from Shane Warne, who was on air.

After eight fours and two sixes, Gill was finally caught on the wrong foot when Lyon changed his line to a one wide of off-stump and the result was an edge to the first slip.

The placid nature of the track also didn’t help the Australians who kept a attacking field for the better part of the session.

Among Gill’s shots, the backfoot cover drive off Hazlewood would stay with any fan for the longest time. He also used Starc’s bounce to slash him over backward point for a six and also pulled him for good measure.

His intent rubbed off on Pujara, who also played a few strokes, and Rahane during his short stay at the crease, showing that India is not afraid of chasing the target. 

Brisbane: Rain disrupted play in the last session on the fourth day of the final Test between India and Australia here on Monday.

This was after India dismissed Australia for 294 in their second innings. The visitors have been set a target of 328.

India were 4/0 in 1.5 overs when rain caused the halt.

Earlier, Steve Smith top-scored for Australia with a blistering 55, while opener David Warner hit 48 at the top. The series is currently tied at 1-1 and India will retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy if Australia fail to win the ongoing match.