Twitter Reactions: Axar Patel and Ravi Ashwin help India crush England inside two days
India have taken an unassailable 2-1 lead in the four-match series.
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India, on Thursday, thrashed England by ten wickets in the third Test at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad to take a 2-1 lead in the four-match series. The low-scoring match ended inside two days as batsmen from both sides found it tough to survive on the pitch which was assisting spinners right from the first day.
Chasing a modest 49-run target, India crossed the finishing line in the eighth over when Rohit Sharma hit Joe Root for two fours and a six. Rohit and Gill shared an unbeaten stand of 49 runs to take the team home without any trouble. Rohit, who had scored a fifty in the first innings, remained unbeaten on 25 while Gill scored 15.
The credit for such a small target goes to Axar Patel who picked up his second five-wicket haul in the game and third in a row to help India bowl out the visitors for just 81. The match was finely poised when England started their second innings after bowling out India for just 145. However, their advantage did not last long.
Axar Patel struck on the very first ball to remove Zak Crawley before castling Jonny Bairstow on the third ball to reduce England to 0 for 2. The visitors could not recover from the early setbacks and were folded up for 81. Ben Stokes’ 25 was the highest score from an England player while Joe Root (17) and Ollie Pope (12) were the only other players to reach the double-digit mark. Axar, who had picked up 6 for 38 in the first innings, took 5 for 32 while Ravichandran Ashwin picked up 4 for 48.
Joe Root dismantles India
Earlier in the day, Joe Root stunned India and ran through their batting lineup as England bowled out the hosts for a modest 145. After bowling out England for just 112, India started the day on 99 for 3. The home side were looking set for a big lead before Root and spinner Jack Leach joined hands to blow India away.
Root inspired the brilliant comeback from the tourists after an early double strike for Jack Leach, who finished with figures of 4-54. The England skipper went on to pick his maiden five-wicket haul in first-class cricket as he grabbed a career-best 5-8. Leach gave England their first breakthrough of the morning by dismissing Ajinkya Rahane (seven) before removing Rohit Sharma for 66 to reduce India to 115 for 5 from 114 for 3.
The next to depart was Rishabh Pant as he became Root’s first victim. And even before India could recover from the setbacks, Root struck again to remove Washington Sundar and Axar Patel even before they could open their account. Ravichandran Ashwin fought for a while before holing out to deep square-leg. Root then wrapped the innings when Jasprit Bumrah was trapped in front.
Here is how Twitter reacted to the match:
Just unbelievable to witness the boys sealing the match in just two days. What a clinical win! Onwards and upwards. Jai Hind. #INDvENG #Pinkballtest @BCCI pic.twitter.com/uJrF3yQjaM
— Suresh Raina🇮🇳 (@ImRaina) February 25, 2021
Ek match ke liye aesa wicket theek hai jaha ballebaaz ki skill aur takaneek ka test hota hai . LEKIN main iss tara ka wicket aur nahi dekhna chahta aur mujhe lagta hai ki saare khiladi bhi nahi chahte . Bohut ache , india 🇮🇳 🙏
— Kevin Pietersen🦏 (@KP24) February 25, 2021
Congratulations, India. Commiserations all of us who were looking forward to three more days of lockdown Test cricket. pic.twitter.com/s7OZr0KnuI
— Ian Bell (@Ian_Bell) February 25, 2021
Now that it's over, Batsman outside Motera pic.twitter.com/fEbNT7D7kQ
— Virender Sehwag (@virendersehwag) February 25, 2021
India winning inside 2 days! #INDvsENG pic.twitter.com/Y0sRbhSq4O
— Wasim Jaffer (@WasimJaffer14) February 25, 2021
How about starting test no 4 tomorrow and send the English side home soon. 3 days should suffice what say guys 🙊🤪 #INDvENG
— Hemang Badani (@hemangkbadani) February 25, 2021
Wonderful achievement by @ashwinravi99.. Class act!!!
— Hemang Badani (@hemangkbadani) February 25, 2021
Kudos to Ash for scaling Mount 400, but remember the peak is still higher, so don't rest till you double the target
— Mohammad Kaif (@MohammadKaif) February 25, 2021
Whatever the sport, I want to watch sportsmen/women at the very top of their game, going at it to show us how good they are against each other. I don’t want the conditions to become an overriding factor that gets in the way of that. #sport
— Laurie🏏Evans🏌️♂️ (@LaurieEvans32) February 25, 2021
49 to win on the 2nd day 2nd Session WOW , Reminds me of that Test Match Eng vs WI at headingley in 2000 it was COLD and the ball was swinging a mile @DGoughie and Co destroyed us , well safe to say India mashing them up on a spinning pitch . #INDvENG #FairGame
— Tino95 (@tinobest) February 25, 2021
When I look at Ashwin I see an artist, an artist who does some amazing things with those fingers wrapped around a cricket ball. When he bats, well, you realise what a natural flair he has for the game. 🙏🙏🙏 #ashwin400
— Sanjay Manjrekar (@sanjaymanjrekar) February 25, 2021
Onward and upwards, 400 and counting … well done 👍🏼 champ #Ashwin #INDvsENG
— S.Badrinath (@s_badrinath) February 25, 2021
Well bowled @akshar2026 yet another 5er in the second inning and for ur maiden 10 wicket haul !! Many congratulations !! #INDvsENG_2021 #PinkBallTest
— Mithun Manhas (@MithunManhas) February 25, 2021
I am all for different skills being tested and when the ball spins its absorbing but juts feel its a little too easy for the spinners here atm #INDvsENG
— Russel Arnold (@RusselArnold69) February 25, 2021
Test cricket needs balance, whether that swings slightly towards the bat or ball, it should always offer a semblance of balance. #INDvEND
— Tom Moody (@TomMoodyCricket) February 25, 2021
Stellar performance!! Second fastest to take 400 test wickets i# !! Phenomenal achievement @ashwinravi99 !! 👏👏 pic.twitter.com/v7jwzZWn4o
— Mithun Manhas (@MithunManhas) February 25, 2021
😳😳😩😩😩 #ENGvIND
— Charlotte Edwards (@C_Edwards23) February 25, 2021
Pitaii under two days 🕺🕺🤪🙂 aur ab #PawriHoRahiHai https://t.co/sFiY84q89Q
— Hemang Badani (@hemangkbadani) February 25, 2021
Well played India, the better side in this game but that was some of the worst test cricket I’ve ever seen.
— Chris Tremlett (@ChrisTremlett33) February 25, 2021
India top the table 👏
They now need to win or draw the last Test to book a place in the #WTC21 final 👀#INDvENG pic.twitter.com/FQcBTw6dj6
— ICC (@ICC) February 25, 2021
test match hai ya panchayat, do din mein khatam hogaya
— amazon prime video IN (@PrimeVideoIN) February 25, 2021
England bowled out for <200 in five innings in a row, for the third time in their Test history. Previously, 5 in a row from Feb-Jun 1902 (across two Ashes series), 8 a row from 1886-1888.
— Andy Zaltzman (@ZaltzCricket) February 25, 2021
Congratulations #TeamIndia for the fantastic win. Hoped that the match could have lasted longer, would have been better for a game of Test!#INDvENG
— Vinod Kambli (@vinodkambli349) February 25, 2021
Pink ball Test leaves England red-faced.
— Navneet Mundhra (@navneet_mundhra) February 25, 2021
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