Watch: Axar Patel delivers a stunning performance in his County debut

PATEL SHINES IN HIS DEBUT MATCH
It was quite evident in the ongoing Test series in England that the Indian batsmen took time to adjust to the new condition. But all-rounder Axar Patel performed well at the beginning of his county stint. He stroked a massive score of 95 runs and remained unbeaten while batting at No. 7 on his county debut for Durham and was left just by a few runs from completing a century.

His strike-rate of almost 100 was commendable on a pitch in Cardiff which was by no means an easier one to bat.

The left-hander batsman came to bat when the score was merely 144 runs at a loss of 5 wickets and played with the lower order to lead them to a good score of 295 runs, gaining a 141-run lead. Patel hit 12 fours and 2 sixes and his 61-run partnership with wicket-keeper Stuart Poynter (29) for the seventh wicket was key in putting Durham at an advantage.

Sittin' pretty after Day Two#GLAvDUR #ForTheNorth pic.twitter.com/5pKyRnIpmW

— Durham Cricket (@DurhamCricket) August 20, 2018

TOOK THREE CRUCIAL WICKETS
Patel, a left-arm spinner, took 2 wickets by giving only 10 runs in the first innings to help his team stop opponents Glamorgan to a limited total of 154 runs.

Even in the second innings, they were struggling at 79 runs at the loss of 7 wickets. Axar Patel took a wicket after bowling 7 overs. It seems as if he has a good command for County cricket and would be looking forward to performing even better in the remaining matches as well.

Made some impression so far, hasn’t he?#ForTheNorth pic.twitter.com/MZEDMXXjcP

— Durham Cricket (@DurhamCricket) August 20, 2018

PATEL MOST LIKELY TO BECOME THE MAN OF THE MATCH
Since only three wickets are left, Durham will try their best to wrap up the game early on the third day and make an innings victory. Also, most probably, Patel will become the Man of the Match for his all-round contribution.

Till now, Patel has played in 38 ODIs and 11 T20 Internationals for India since 2014. He has taken a total of 45 wickets in the 50-over and 9 wickets in the shortest format. He also played quite well in the Indian Premier League. Before the game against Glamorgan, the 24-year-old averaged nearly 50 in the first-class format with one hundred and 10 fifties.