New Zealand’s cricket team, or the Black Caps / Kiwis as they are called, have arrived in India for a three match Test series which is to begin from Oct 16 in Bengaluru. It is but natural that memories go back to an eventful match which was held when the NZ team visited India in 2021. That was the match when Ajaz Yunus Patel snapped up all ten wickets in India’s first innings during the second match of the series.
He became only the third bowler in cricket history to take all ten wickets in an innings. The first was England’s Jim Laker and the second to do so was Anil Kumble. But Ajaz Patel was done yet. In the second innings, Patel took a further four wickets thereby finishing the match with 14 wickets at a cost of 225 runs. It was the best bowling figures by an Kiwi bowler in a Test match against India.
Ajaz Patel was born in India but left with his family members and settled in New Zealand when he was 8 years old. His bowling talent enabled him to be selected for New Zealand’s team to play against Pakistan in November 2018. On his debut he took five wickets in the second innings and helped New Zealand to win by four runs.
Since then he has captured 5 wickets in an innings on five occasions in addition to the ten wickets once. He now has a total of 70 Test wickets at an average of 28.50.
But surprisingly Ajaz has not been a regular member of New Zealand’s side. After making his Test debut in 2018, Ajaz has played in only 18 Test matches. It looks like NZ reserves Ajaz only for playing in the subcontinent and Sri Lanka. Therefore Ajaz Patel has become something of an Asia specialist and has played more than 70 percent of his Tests on the continent.
Ardour undiminished
But the inconsistency of the NZ selectors has not diminished Ajaz’s ardour for the game. In preparation for the series against India, he arrived early in Mumbai and put in several days of hard practice at a local cricket club in the metropolis. It is learnt that Nilesh Bhosle, a member of the Mumbai Cricket Association arranged a practice facility for Ajaz at the MIG club.
The limited opportunities that the NZ selectors have provided him, seem to have made Ajaz hungrier for success. He knows that the Kiwis will always rely more on their fast bowling attack and he will have to prove himself within the slender openings that may come his way.
In Indian conditions, he will have an advantage because the ball will do a little more than it does on the hard cold pitches of New Zealand. But on the other hand, Indian batsmen are far better at playing spinners than their Kiwi counterparts. So in a way it is a double edged sword that Ajaz will be holding in his hand.
Patel’s strategy
Obviously his strategy will be to bowl steadily in the right line and length and try to keep the Indian batsmen guessing with his variations. He is well versed with making use of the existing conditions. Sometimes he uses the breeze to float the ball in and out, sometimes he uses the pace of the wicket to extract bounce and sometimes he combines both the factors.
Sri Lanka’s most successful spinner Ranganna Herath has helped Ajaz to figure out new methods such as different angles and different field settings to trouble the batters. He can almost read minds. He knows when the batsman is trying to hit him out of the action and when the batsman is merely stalling for time. With his experience and mastery over his craft, Ajaz will be a dangerous bowler on Indian pitches.
However, with all Indian players in great form (as was obvious in the series against Bangladesh), it is very likely that the forthcoming Test matches between India and New Zealand will throw up some very good cricket. Although India starts as the favourites, the visiting team led by Tom Latham could pose big challenges.
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