Follow UsThe caravan of New Zealand’s Asia expedition (their sixth scheduled Test in a row in Asia) has now reached its final stage in Mumbai. The Blackcaps will lock horns with India in the third Test starting on November 1, having already won the series with victories in Bengaluru and Pune.
Mumbai is a homecoming for the left-arm spinner Ajaz Patel. Born in Mumbai, Patel moved to New Zealand with his family at the age of eight.
Patel was part of the XI when New Zealand last toured India in 2021 and played the second Test at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Coincidentally, this was also the last time Wankhede hosted a Test match. Patel put his name in the history books, snapping 10/119 in the first innings with the ball. He became only the third bowler in the history of Test cricket to pick all 10 wickets.
The subsequent tour has allowed him to return to Mumbai and Patel is grateful that BCCI allotted Mumbai a Test match for this series. “It’s certainly emotional,” Patel said about his return to Mumbai to play Test cricket.
“I guess being back in Mumbai is always quite special, and it’s a place I call home as well. Having the opportunity to play out here again is quite special.
“To be honest, after my 10-wicket haul, I wasn’t sure whether I’d get another opportunity to play out here again throughout my career. So, I’m very grateful that the BCCI has scheduled a game out here, and I get to be back home again for a little while,” he elaborated.
In this series, Patel has managed only four wickets. However, returning to the venue where he bowled that memorable spell, he would be hopeful to make a more significant contribution. Known for its red soil, Wankhede has often assisted finger spinners in terms of turn and bounce. Patel would know it better than any other Kiwi bowler. Having assessed the pitch during New Zealand’s training session on Wednesday (October 30), Patel was quite certain of Wankhede staying true to its innate nature.
“It will definitely turn,” Patel answered when asked about the pitch.
“I guess looking at the wicket and having played here before, you know that that red soil is going to offer you a bit more pace and a bit more bounce. It’s [turn on the pitch] just a matter of when and it’s just kind of waiting and seeing how that kind of pans out, whether it turns early or whether it turns a bit later on in the game.
“That until the first ball is bowled, we won’t know. So, it’s just waiting and seeing but at the same time, it’s just being very, very clear on what your plans look like on that particular surface,” he added.
This is the first time New Zealand have won a Test series in India. They had won only two Test matches on Indian soil before this series, the last of which was in 1988. Patel is the only player in the New Zealand squad on this tour who was born then. Being beaten 0-2 in Sri Lanka, not many gave the Kiwis a chance in this series to upset. On the contrary, they have broken India’s streak of 18 consecutive series wins spanned across 12 years.
“We know how tough a task it is to win against India at home and win a series,” Patel said on the achievement of his team.
“To be able to do that has been very, very special and it’s certainly taken a whole team effort to be able to do that. We’ve played some very good cricket over the last couple of weeks, and moving forward into this game, it’s really important that we start again and really forget about what’s gone behind us, kind of put that to bed so that we can focus on the task in front of us,” Patel said shedding light on the mood in the New Zealand camp.
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