Axar Patel on Monday refuted criticism of the pitch, saying it has played true from the first day.
“Not even one ball has hit the batsman’s helmet or taken off extraordinarily. It is just spinning normally. We are also playing on the same pitch and making runs. So nobody should have reservations about the pitch,” said Axar.
He added that the pitch required the spinners to hit the right speeds to get maximum purchase. “The wicket is turning, but the turn is on offer when you bowl at a faster pace and have strength behind every ball. If you bowl slowly, the pitch is not offering as much assistance.”
The left-arm spinner, who missed the first Test after complaining of knee pain, felt that the decision was in the team’s best interests. “It was slightly frustrating, but I didn’t want to play with a niggle and then midway through the match make the team suffer. I wanted to give myself time. If you look at it positively, I am able to give my 100% [here],” said the 27-year-old debutant.
Picked as a like-for-like replacement for Ravindra Jadeja, Axar said, “I know my strengths. My accuracy is my strong point and it works well for me. You don’t need to try too many variations or anything fancy. I am just looking to bowl at one spot and let the pitch do the work for me.”
After India lost early wickets in the morning, Axar revealed that there were some nerves in the dressing room before Ashwin and Virat Kohli steadied things. “The partnership gave us confidence. When you have a big score on the board, you can bowl freely and confidently,” he said.
Meanwhile, England’s spin-bowling coach Jeetan Patel backed his side’s batsmen to play their natural games on the fourth day.
“We've got stroke-makers in the group and we want them to express themselves. That's been one of the strengths of our three Test matches in the sub-continent, still trying to score. If we sit back and try to defend for two days we're not going to have much success and not going to go anywhere in the game,” said the former New Zealand off-spinner.