CHENNAI: Homecomings don’t get better than this. Not even in the City of Dreams. Mumbai is a city that makes you earn every penny. Nothing comes easy in here. There are no shortcuts. Sometimes you don’t even get rewarded for what you do. Yet, Ajaz Yunus Patel had a dream return to the land of his birth, achieving a rare feat, which only two others in 144-year history of cricket had ever done it before – 10 wickets in an innings. Jim Laker and Anil Kumble have a company.
When Ajaz’s family left Mumbai to seek greener pastures elsewhere, cricket remained a passion for him. But not spin bowling. Ajaz wanted to be a seamer all along and it was only during his Under-19 days he started bowling left-arm spin because, with his height, the pace was always going to be a problem. Watching Wasim Akram can make kids dream of such things. But, in Dipak Patel, the former New Zealand spinner, Ajaz found a mentor who converted him into a spinner.
And as he returned to Wankhede, a stadium he has made multiple visits in the past to watch cricket from the stands during family holidays in the city, to play the second Test for Black Caps, this was the homecoming he long earned. On Day 1, Ajaz was the only Kiwi bowler who kept troubling the Indians with his line and length. He was relentless, landing it almost in the same spot, ball after ball, getting the ball to beat the edge. Only Mayank Agarwal, the centurion in this Test, had some control over him, only because he was willing to play him beside the line by getting down the track. At the end of the first day’s play, Ajaz said they have done only half the job.
And little did he know, he would be the one who finishes the job. Unlike the Indian attack, which shut New Zealand out for 62 in the first innings, which was versatile, Ajaz was a lone warrior. William Somerville’s off-spin never really troubled Indians and so was the case with Rachin Ravindra, who was playing only his second Test. Tim Southee, Kyle Jamieson are skillful seamers, but there was nothing on this track to assist them.
So it was down to Ajaz, who was again relentless with his line on Saturday. The revs he got meant, as long as he pitched it in the right areas, he could always get the grip of the surface and all he needed to do was to be patient. And the wickets arrived and so did the historic feat. “Not really.” Ajaz said when asked if the feeling has sunk in.
“After I came off the field, things happened too quickly. These things don’t sink in until later. It’s brilliant for me, my family and my wife. You spend a lot of time away from home as a cricketer and I’m just grateful to god for this, this occasion. It’s very special for me.”
It was special and the two previous instances have come in a match-winning effort. However, given the way New Zealand’s first innings played out, Ajaz feat is on course to end up in a losing cause. Though India’s total of 325 was not huge by any means, all it needed for New Zealand to stay in the game was not to concede a huge first innings lead. But the Indian attack led by Mohammed Siraj had other plans as the Black Caps lost three wickets to the new ball even before the spinners came on. And by the time R Ashwin, Axar Patel and Jayant Yadav got their chance to bowl, they wasted no time in dismissing New Zealand for 62 – the lowest ever total at the venue.
And in response, India had moved on to 62/0 and now have a lead of 332 runs.
“That’s the beauty of Test cricket. Things can flip and one session can change the game. But we’re still in the game and the second innings is still left. It’s about looking forward to tomorrow and doing the right things again. I have a lot of messages to respond to but I’ll leave it for the quarantine on my way back home,” Ajaz added.