New Zealand’s Ajaz Patel makes history by taking all-10 wickets in first inning against India
Ajaz Patel celebrates the dismissal of Indian players during the day two of their second Test match in Mumbai on Saturday. AP
Ajaz Patel made history on Saturday by becoming the third bowler to claim all-10 wickets in an innings as New Zealand restricted India to 325 in their first innings on the second day of the second and final Test at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
Ajaz, a left-arm spinner, added to his tally of four wickets on the opening day to return figures of 10-119. India were all out for 325.
England off-spinner Jim Laker was the first bowler to take a Test ten-for, against Australia in 1956 at Old Trafford. He ended up with 19 wickets in an encounter that came to be known as "Laker's Match." Indian spin ace Anil Kumble is the only other player to do so, against Pakistan in 1999 at Delhi's Feroz Shah Kotla.
Ajaz's brilliant effort overshadowed a fantastic 150 by Indian opener Mayank Agarwal, a 311-ball effort that contained 17 fours and four sixes. Agarwal, who was 120 overnight, was the only Indian batsman to build on the start and was involved in crucial partnerships of 80 with Shubman Gill, 80 with Shreyas Iyer for the fourth wicket, 64 with Wriddhiman Saha for the fifth and 67 for the seventh wicket with Axar Patel.
Axar Patel struck a fine 52 off 128 deliveries (5x4, 1x6) as he and Agarwal resurrected the Indian innings after Ajaz had claimed two wickets off successive balls to reduce India to 224/6 as India went to lunch at 285/6.
However, things went south for the hosts soon after restart as Ajaz Patel struck in the 100th over of the innings, sending back Agarwal for a well-made 150 in which he did not commit many mistakes, and used every opportunity to punish the bowlers.
He watched the ball carefully and used his feet to the spinners and played them with the turn. Ajaz claimed the next three wickets quickly as the Indian innings folded at 325 with Patel claiming all 10 wickets.
PRETTY SPECIAL
Ajaz, who emigrated to New Zealand in 1996 with his parents, was playing just his 11th Test for New Zealand since making his debut in 2018. Now 33, his previous Test best was 5-59.
"Honestly, it's surreal and to be able to do that in my career is pretty special," he said. "The stars have aligned for me to do it in Mumbai. "I'm in very illustrious company with Kumble sir as well."
STYLE SWITCH
Ajaz had already described his return to Mumbai as "special" after taking four wickets on the opening day, adding that "this is what dreams are made of."
He had a middle-class upbringing in the Indian port city, where his father worked in refrigeration and his mother was a school teacher.
At the time the family emigrated he had little knowledge of New Zealand aside from the chocolates relatives already living there had sent them. "When I think back on that, it is quite surprising that I sit here in New Zealand as an international cricketer knowing where I come from," Ajaz once wrote.
He found his calling in cricket and his heart was set on becoming a devastating fast bowler in the mould of national hero Richard Hadlee. It was not until his mid-20s that he realised he was too short to make it as a quick, and switched from left-arm medium-pace to spin under former New Zealand spinner Dipak Patel. He thought it "might be fun" to try being a spinner, he once recalled.
The change transformed his career: he was selected for the national team at the late age of 30, and has now overtaken New Zealand's previous Test best of 9-52 by Hadlee himself, against Australia at Brisbane in 1985.
