08 December,2021 09:36 PM IST | Mumbai | Subodh Mayure
NZ spinner Ajaz Patel celebrates Mohammed Siraj’s dismissal, his 10th wicket, at Wankhede last week. Pic/AP; PTI
New Zealand's Mumbai-born left-arm spinner Ajaz Patel, who became only the third bowler in Test cricket history to take all 10 wickets in an innings, against India at the Wankhede Stadium recently, has revealed that he was actually under pressure while going for his final scalp.
"To be honest, I was not thinking about it [10 wickets] at all until I got the ninth wicket [Jayant Yadav] because I was so long into my spell. As a spinner, you focus on one ball at a time and you don't try to get too far ahead of yourself. So, my main focus was just to bowl the best ball that I can. Then [on dismissing Yadav off the second ball of the over] I realised that it would be a special achievement if I got all 10. So, there was a bit more pressure in the over with [India pacer Mohammed] Siraj facing. I felt I had to do it in the four balls left in that over," Patel told mid-day during a virtual media interaction on Tuesday, when asked at what point did he feel that the 10-wicket feat was possible.
Patel, 33, had claimed a fifer thrice before, but enjoyed his dream outing in Mumbai where he finished with a 14-wicket match haul (including his impressive 10-119) in the first innings. However, his heroic effort went in vain as the hosts beat the Kiwis by a massive 372 runs to clinch the two-match series 1-0 on Monday.
Patel had all the top batsmen including opener Mayank Agarwal (150), one-drop Cheteshwar Pujara and skipper Virat Kohli (both out for a duck), before he came under pressure against No. 11 Siraj (4). Patel eventually got him three balls later, caught by Rachin Ravindra at mid-on as the right-hander tried to get the flighted delivered over the fielders.
"You need a lot of things to go your way, you need a lot of luck and I am blessed that the Almighty gave me an opportunity to achieve something like that," added Patel, who has 43 Test wickets from 11 matches and 11 victims in seven T20Is.
Patel, whose family shifted base from Mumbai to Auckland when he was just eight, was also keen to give back something to the city of his birth. He thus decided to gift the match-ball to the Mumbai Cricket Association on Monday.
"It [match ball] is very special and it feels special for me to be able to leave something behind in Mumbai with my name on it. Now everyone knows that I have been here [Mumbai] and achieved something and made my mark in Mumbai's cricket history. It was very kind of them [MCA] to present me a special [handwritten] scorecard and a memento too," added Patel.
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