MUMBAI: Ajaz Patel doesn't remember what the Wankhede pitch in Mumbai looked like three years ago, but he remembers the feeling. The left-arm spinner from New Zealand is not just back at the stadium where he became only the third bowler in Test history to take ten wickets in an innings, but also in the city he can call home; a place where he has familial roots.
Understandably, he is emotional. After all, he did not even think he would get another chance to be back in Mumbai for another Test match. In many ways, it feels like a homecoming for him. He's sitting in the press conference room, reflecting at a moment when he etched his name in the record books. Life hasn't changed much since that historic performance against India in 2021.
"After the ten-fer, I haven't had as many opportunities to play but at the same time, I mean when you do get an opportunity to play, it is very special when you're playing for your nation. You never take it for granted,” he says.
It is true. In fact, of the 24 Tests New Zealand has played since the Mumbai match three years ago, Patel has played in only ten of them. Five of which have come in the last month and a half starting with the abandoned Test against Afghanistan in Noida. Patel started with a six-fer in Galle, but has gone under the radar since then. His partner Mitchell Santner has been doing the heavy-lifting with the ball in that time frame. In the three matches since, he has only four wickets to show.
However, Patel is not taking any pressure. He knows that the expectations are always going to be there and all he can do is work on the preparations and play the holding role if wickets aren't coming at his end. What has helped not just him, but the entire team, is the presence of former Sri Lanka spinner Rangana Herath in the coaching staff. "It certainly is quite special having him around with us. I guess when you come to the subcontinent, he's very familiar with the conditions as well and what to expect and I guess more importantly around the dynamics of setting the right fields for certain individuals and so it's been fantastic having him around and just bouncing ideas off him. Also, the batters love facing him because some of our younger guys would have never had the opportunity to face him so it's an exciting challenge," said Patel.
Coming to a ground where he took all ten wickets might bring back happy memories but Patel is bound to feel a bit of pressure too. The one thing Patel remembers from the surface three years ago is that it looked a lot drier. "In saying that, we're still two days out from the game. So, it is going to change over the next couple of days. We know that the red soil can offer a bit more pace and a bit more bounce. It's I guess accepting that and knowing that you may be bowling with a bit more overspin or a bit more sidespin to get different results and then it's just kind of using that to your advantage."
Indeed. One has to wait and see how the pitch plays out, but Patel is prepared. He is ready to go back out there and do whatever he can to contribute. When in doubt, he can always look back and remember what it felt like to take all ten wickets of the Indian team at the same venue.