KEY POINTS

  • India defeated England in the 3rd Test inside two days
  • The Test was played at the Sardar Patel Stadium, Ahmedabad
  • The local boy, Axar Patel, was named the Player of the Match

Virat Kohli broke MS Dhoni’s record as India’s Test captain in his side’s 10-wicket win over England in the third Test in the city of Ahmedabad on Thursday.

India chased down England’s mere target of 49 with 10 wickets to spare at the Sardar Patel Stadium as the game ended within two days. While India went 2-1 up in the four-match series, Kohli took his tally to 22 from 29 Tests in India. Dhoni had 21 wins as India’s Test captain on home soil from 30 matches.

Overall, Kohli is already India’s most successful Test captain with 35 Test wins from 59 matches, while Dhoni is next on the list with 27 victories in 60 games ahead of Sourav Ganguly (21) and Mohammad Azharuddin (14).

Virat Kohli's men are scheduled to contest a four Test series in Australia towards the end of the year but will need to quarantine for two weeks under current COVID-19 rules
Virat Kohli is the current Indian captain across all the formats of the game. AFP / Marty MELVILLE

On Day two of the third Test on Thursday, India resumed their first innings at 99 for 3, but suffered a batting collapse, courtesy of Jack Leach and Joe Root. Leach made four breakthroughs, but the England skipper Root turned the table around in the day by claiming his maiden five-wicket haul in Tests. He derailed India’s innings by removing Rishabh Pant and Ravichandra Ashwin before he cleaned up the tail as well with the wickets of Washington Sundar, Axar Patel and Jasprit Bumrah. Root bagged his career-best bowling figures as he finished the innings with 5 for 8 in 6.2 overs.

In reply to that, India’s spin duo of Axar and Ashwin ran over England’s line-up as the two shared nine wickets between them, while Sundar picked up one. Axar, the local boy of Ahmedabad, claimed 11 wickets in the Test and eventually was adjudged the Player of the Match. Having played just two Tests for India, the 27-year-old Axar already has 18 wickets to his account. England were bowled out for 81, handing India a target of 49. Indian openers Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill remained not out on 25 and 15 as India completed the chase in 7.4 overs.

It was just the third instance of a Test ending inside two days in Asia after Australia vs Pakistan, Sharjah (2002-03) and India vs Afghanistan, Bengaluru (2018).

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