India vs England Test Series – Axar Patel: The first inning of 4th test can be very special for Axar Patel. The left arm Indian spinner can equal Harbhajan Singh’s record of most consecutive 5 wicket hauls in Test Cricket for India. Axar has taken 5 wickets or more consecutively in 3 test innings and now Harbhajan Singh’s record of 4 consecutive 5 wicket haul is on his target.
Axar Patel’s performance since making his debut in 2nd Test of ongoing England series
– Axar took 2/40 in his debut innings in the 2nd Test which was followed by 5/60 in the 2nd innings
– In the 3rd Test, Axar’s flighted deliveries had no response from English batsmen as the local lad returned with 6/38 in the first innings and 5/32 in the second. Thus, he completed his third consecutive five-wicket hauls adding to his 5/60 in the second innings in Chennai.
– His rich exploits in Ahmedabad in the 3rd Test — 11/70 — was the best bowling figure in a pink-ball Test, eclipsing Pat Cummins’ 10/62 against Sri Lanka in Brisbane.
– Doing so, he also became only the fourth Indian bowler to have three consecutive five-wicket hauls in Test cricket. Let’s find out who are the other Indians on the list.
Harbhajan Singh (4): During the India vs Australia series in 2001, Harbhajan Singh made the mighty Steve Wagh’s men struggle. In that series, Singh bagged 28 wickets in four innings including four consecutive fifers. Thus, he became the only Indian to bag four fifers: 7/123, 6/73 in Kolkata and 7/133, 8/84 in Chennai.
Laxman Sivaramakrishnan (3): Another spinner on the list, his victim was England. During the 1984-85 series, Laxman Sivaramakrishnan was at his best. After returning with 6/64 and 6/117 in Mumbai, he scalped 6/99 in Delhi, becoming the first Indian with three consecutive five-wicket hauls.
Javagal Srinath (3): The only Indian pacer on the list, Javagal Srinath’s swings rattled Pakistan during the 1999 series. In Kolkata, Srinath bagged 5/46 and career-best 8/86 in the second innings. He followed it up with a 6/45 against New Zealand in Mohali to become the third Indian to have three consecutive fifers.
Axar now has 18 wickets from his first 4 test innings. In the 4th Test against England, also at Motera, Patel could equal Bhajji’s record will also have a chance to overtake the spin legend.
Australia’s Charlie Turner with six consecutive five-wicket hauls against England in 1888 is at the top of the list. He is followed by Englishmen Tom Richardson and Alec Bedser with five consecutive fifers. West Indies spinner Shane Shillingford with five back-to-back fifers against Zimbabwe and India in 2013 is the only spinner and a modern-era bowler to have five straight fifers.