Team India all-rounder Axar Patel dropped a dolly at deep third man in the ongoing second ODI against England in Cuttack, giving Phil Salt a reprieve when he was only on 6. In a video surfaced on social media, the ball could be seen going straight into Axar's hands but his concentration broke and he shelled it.
The incident occurred in the sixth over of the innings sent down by Hardik Pandya. Salt ramped a short-pitched delivery from Pandya to third-man fielder. The 31-year-old, stationed at that position, was perfectly positioned to take the catch but shelled the ball after it hit his hands. Pandya was predictably distraught as the catch went down.
Below is the video of the same:
Axar managed to retain his spot for the decisive ODI after taking a wicket and scoring an important half-century to fashion India's four-wicket win in the opening game in Nagpur.
Varun Chakravarthy bags Phil Salt for his first ODI wicket
Nevertheless, the drop from Axar didn't cost the hosts much as Salt managed to add only 20 more runs to his tally before becoming leg-spinner Varun Chakravarthy's maiden ODI scalp. The 33-year-old, who replaced Kuldeep Yadav in the line-up, struck in his first over.
The other change made by the home side was bringing in Virat Kohli for Yashasvi Jaiswal, who made his ODI debut in Nagpur but made only 15 runs. England, who are in a must-win territory, have carried out three changes to level the series ahead of the third ODI in Ahmedabad.
