India vs Australia: All-rounder Axar Patel smashed a century in the first innings after coming into bat at No. 9 in the Nagpur Test match. Patel matched the record of Jayant Yadav.
Nagpur,UPDATED: Feb 11, 2023 11:46 IST
Axar Patel batted well for India in the first Test match at Nagpur. (AP Photo)
By India Today Web Desk: India soared to a total of 400 runs in the first innings of the Nagpur Test match, courtesy of a sensational batting display from all-rounder Axar Patel on Day 3. After captain Rohit Sharma’s century, Axar Patel combined with Ravindra Jadeja to boost the Indian score in the first innings of the Nagpur Test.
The duo of Jadeja and Patel remained unbeaten through the second day of the Test match. While Jadeja was dismissed for 70 runs off 185 balls by Todd Murphy, Axar Patel continued his assault on the Australian bowlers. The left-hander added valuable runs with Mohammed Shami, who surprised everyone and took debutant Todd Murphy to town. Shami hit 37 off 47 balls and pushed the Indian total to 400 runs.
Axar was the final batter to get out on the day, outfoxed by Australian captain Pat Cummins’ off-cutter that shaved his off stump.
India posted a lead of 223 runs after their first innings of the 1st Test match, more than the Australian total when they came out to bat in the fresh Nagpur pitch. The Nagpur pitch offered grip but not vicious turn on Day 3 of the Test match. Debutant Todd Murphy had a successful outing as a Test cricketer, picking up 7 wickets in the first innings. Barring Murphy, captain Pat Cummins picked 2 wickets, while Nathan Lyon had one to his name.
Earlier, Australia hit 177 runs after winning the toss and choosing to bat first in the Test match. Marnus Labuschagne top-scored in the first innings for the visitors, hitting 49 runs. Ravindra Jadeja ran through the Australian middle order on his return to international cricket and picked 5 wickets. He was assisted by Ravichandran Ashwin, who after a slow start, picked up the pace and finished with 3 wickets to his name. Ashwin in the process became the fastest Indian cricketer to 450 Test wickets.
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