On this day in 2021: India beat England inside two days

India have hosted two pink-ball Test matches so far having won both of them convincingly. The first one happened to be against Bangladesh at the iconic Eden Gardens in November 2019 while the second Day-Night Test by Team India was played against England at the newly-inaugurated Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

It was on this very day in 2021 that Virat Kohli & Co. had got the better of the English side on a spinner’s paradise where both teams looked to keep their ICC World Test Championship final hopes alive.

Spinners make merry on new Ahmedabad pitch

With the four-match series tied at 1-1, India locked horns with England in the third Test that would hardly go on to last for a couple of days. Joe Root won the toss and decided to bat. However, the visitors failed to show any application with the bat and were bundled out cheaply for 112.

Left-arm spinner Axar Patel was the pick of the Indian bowlers with figures of 6/38. India in reply could only manage 145 runs in their first innings as no batter barring opener Rohit Sharma (66) made any impact. It was part-timer Joe Root who ran through the India batting lineup with a fifer as he took 5/8.

With only a 33-run deficit, the visitors looked to set a stiff target but unfortunately, their batters let them down yet again and they were skittled for 81. Senior off-spinner R Ashwin registered his 400th Test scalp and finished with a four-wicket haul but it was Axar Patel who made his presence felt with back-to-back five-wicket hauls in the same contest. The hometown hero finished with figures of 5/32 as India were set a target of just 49 runs to take a 2-1 lead in the series.

The hosts during their run chase ensured that there was no further drama and completed the formalities in 7.4 overs to register a 10-wicket win. Axar was adjudged the Player of the Match for taking 11 wickets in the game.