India unveiled the latest spin hero from its production line when Axar Patel claimed 11 wickets in the lightning fast two-day Test win over England.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The 27-year-old started off his cricket life as a fast bowler and only got his place in this crucial series because of an injury to star spinner Ravindra Jadeja.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Patel missed the first match of the series with his own injury worry. But after claiming five-wicket hauls in three of the four innings in which he has bowled, Patel has left Indian selectors in a quandary.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Captain Virat Kohli said England may have been "relieved" when Jadeja was injured.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"But then this guy comes in. Bowls it quicker and from a bigger height as well."<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"It is a tribute to his hard work, his accuracy," said Kohli.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"It is impossible to sweep him, impossible to defend him all day. If the wicket gives him anything he is just a lethal bowler."<\/p>\r\n\r\n
While England's batsmen may have been poor, Patel played the central role in bowling them out for 112 and 81 in the day-night third Test in Ahmedabad.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
- India's straight man -<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The batsmen expected the ball to turn on the devilish track, but it kept going straight -- 28 of the wickets to fall went to spinners and 21 were straight balls.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Patel even put Ravichandran Ashwin in the shade, even though the senior spinner's seven wickets took him past 400 in Tests.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"My strength is always about bowling wicket-to-wicket," Patel said after being named man of the match.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"It's about playing on the mindset of the batsmen. Strangle them for runs and then get them make the mistakes. Bowling more and more dot balls is my strength."<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Patel had already made his mark in his debut in the second Test in Chennai in which he took his first five-wicket haul.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
In Ahmedabad, he bowled Zak Crawley off the first ball of England's second innings and then rattled Jonny Bairstow's stumps two balls later.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
He also trapped England skipper Joe Root lbw with one of his non-spinning deliveries that just skid off the turf.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Patel switched from being a left arm fast bowler on the advice of a coach.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The move paid rich dividends as Patel made his one-day debut as a 20-year-old in 2014 and played a Twenty20 match for India a year later.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
He has claimed 45 ODI wickets in 38 matches but it is his Test exploits that won him rich praise.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"Coming out from nowhere and making it to the squad was not easy," batting star Rohit Sharma said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n