IND vs ENG: Axar Patel joins elite list after a five-wicket haul on debut
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"It was a good experience, to get a five-wicket haul on debut is special. As Kuldeep said, there was much happening on the pitch.
India's left-arm spinner Axar Patel's five-wicket haul in his debut match played a crucial role in the second Test match, where hosts thrashed England by 317 runs at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Tuesday.
Axar became the 9th Indian player to take a five-wicket haul on Test debut and only the second left-arm spinner after Dilip Doshi to take a five-for in his debut Test.
Coincidently, Dilip Doshi's debut fifer came at the same venue (Chepauk Stadium) against Australia back in 1979.
Spinners taking five-fer on Test debut for India
5/64 - VV Kumar v Pak, Delhi 1960/61
6/103 - D Doshi v Aus, Chennai 1979/80
8/61 & 8/75 - N Hirwani v WI, Chennai 1987/88
5/71 - Amit Mishra v Aus, Mohali 2008/09
6/47 - R Ashwin v WI, Delhi 2011/12
5/41 - Axar Patel v Eng, Chennai 2020/21
"It was a good experience, to get a five-wicket haul on debut is special. As Kuldeep said, there was much happening on the pitch.
"It was about varying your speed and I just kept doing it. Forced the batsman to make mistakes. On the first day itself, it was turning. So, we bowled tight lines and got the rewards," Axar Patel said after the match.