Axar Patel thanks family and friends for their support in tough times

The pitch might have been in favour of the spinners but credit must be given to Axar Patel for bowling impeccable line and length. Patel was on fire in the third test between India and England and rattled the visitors by picking up 11 wickets in the match. Axar now has thanked his friends and family including Hardik Pandya for supporting him in tough times. Indians spinners run riot as they decimated England, leading India to a magnificent 10 wicket victory in Ahmedabad. 

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"When I was out of Team India for three years, I used to think about how can I work on my game to improve my bowling and batting. Many friends continued to ask why I wasn't in the team when I was performing consistently in the IPL and for India A, so these questions were in my mind," Axar told Hardik in a video posted on a BCCI website.

"But I knew that I need to wait for the right time and give my 100 per cent whenever I get a chance. My friends and family have helped me a lot in the past 2-3 years, and you (Hardik) are also one of them. I learned a lot on how to tackle the tough phase, so I credit them for supporting them during my tough time," he added.

Ace Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya also praised Axar Patel for his hard work and said that he’s very proud of his performance.

"For Axar we have been waiting for his debut for a long time and the way he has made it we feel very proud of him. He has done a lot of hard work," said Hardik

Axar Patel was set to make his debut in the first Test in Chennai but was ruled out of the match due to an injury. He got his opportunity in the next match at the same venue where he made an immediate impact by picking up 7 wickets in the match. He then blew away the visitors with an outstanding display of spin bowling and picked up 11 wickets in the pink ball test to take India to a comprehensive win. Along with Axar, Ashwin also picked up 7 wickets in the match