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Team India continued their dominance in the third Test against England at Narendra Modi Cricket Stadium on Wednesday.
The pair of Ravichandran Ashwin and Axar Patel ran through England batting order and never allowed the visitors to make a comeback in the game. While Axar picked up six wickets for 38 in 21.4 overs, Ashwin bagged three scalps for 26 in 16 overs.
Veteran Indian pacer Ishant Sharma, who is playing his 100th Test, took one wicket as England got bundled out for only 112 runs. Opener Zak Crawley was the only highlight in England’s innings as he scored 53 off 84 balls with 10 boundaries.
Skipper Joe Root with 17 runs was the second-highest scorer for the touring side. He formed a crucial partnership with Crawley for the third wicket. The pair added 47-runs before Ashwin outdid Root in the 22nd over of England’s first innings.
The Tamil Nadu spinner came round the wicket and pitched it a bit full. Root misjudged the length and paid the price by hanging on the back foot. The pink leather struck him on his pads, and umpire Anil Kumar Chaudhary raised his finger. Root then went upstairs, but the ball-tracker agreed with the on-field umpire.
Here is the video:
Ahh.,,, Bummer “ Umpires Call “ Playing bitch for root #INDvENG #pinktest #WTC21 pic.twitter.com/mt3cgbxqub
— Prithvi v Bharadwaj (@PrithviMatka) February 24, 2021
Ashwin on the verge of 400 Test wickets
After taking three scalps in the first innings, Ashwin now has 397 wickets in the longest format. He is on the verge of becoming the second-fastest bowler to complete 400 scalps. If Ashwin can take three or more wickets in the ongoing Test, he will beat Richard Hadlee of New Zealand and Dale Steyn of South Africa.
Steyn and Hadlee had taken 80 Tests to get 400 scalps. If Ashwin enters the 400-wicket club in the Day/Night Test, he will reach the milestone in his 77th match. Legendary Sri Lankan spinner Muttiah Muralitharan is at the top of the list as he took just 72 Tests to pick 400 scalps in Test cricket.
