India's Axar Patel gestures to a teammate during the day three of their first test cricket match with New Zealand in Kanpur, India, Saturday, Nov. 27, 2021.
Highlights
- Axar Patel hogged the limelight as he clinched yet another fifer.
- Axar has been terrific since he donned the India whites at the start of the year.
- Axar has as many as 32 wickets in just three and half Tests.
India left-arm spinner Axar Patel, who is playing the fourth Test match of his career, has picked the fifth five-wicket haul in the ongoing first Test match against New Zealand here at the Green Park, Kanpur on Saturday. Axar's fifer helped India bundle out Blackcaps for 296 runs in the second innings of the match giving Team India a decent lead of 49 runs.
Most wickets for India after 1st four Tests
36 - Narendra Hirwani
30 - Axar Patel
26 - R Ashwin
21 - S Venkatraghavan/L Sivaramakrishnan/Jasprit Bumrah
20 - Ravindra Jadeja
Most Test fifers in 2021
5 - Hasan Ali
4 - Axar Patel
3 - Ravi Ashwin
3 - Kyle Jamieson
India were in desperate need of wickets as Kiwi openers Tom Latham and Will Young had stitched an excellent partnership of 151 runs. Axar removed Latham, Ross Taylor, Henry Nicholls, Tom Blundell and Tim Southee giving away just 62 runs in 34 overs. This is Axar's fifth 5-wicket haul in just the seventh innings of his Test career.
Fastest Indian to reach 30 Test wickets by matches
3 - Narendra Hirwani
4 - Axar Patel
6 - Ravindra Jadeja
7 - Sreesanth
7 - Anil Kumble
7 - Jasprit Bumrah
7 - Dilip Doshi
Fewest innings to 5 five-wicket hauls in Test cricket
6 - Rodney Hogg
7 - Charlie Turner
7 - Tom Richardson
7 - Axar Patel*
With this Axar also became the second quickest Indian bowler to 30 Test wickets. First on the list is former India leg spinner Narendra Hirwani who took the 30th Test wicket in his 3rd Test. Axar now has the second most wickets for an Indian bowler in first four Tests.
Axar Patel in Tests (Innings by innings)
5/59* vs New Zealand
5/48 vs England
4/68 vs England
5/32 vs England
6/38 vs England
5/60 vs England
2/40 vs England
Axar has a five-wicket haul in all the four matches that he has played in the longest format of the game. With this, he is now third on the list of bowlers with a five-wicket haul in the first four Tests of their career.
