The second Test match between India and New Zealand has gone down in the history on several fronts. The riveting encounter at Wankhede stadium witnessed a rare historic moment as Ajaz Patel joined Jim Laker and Anil Kumble to become just the third player in the history of Test cricket to pick 10 wickets in an innings of a Test match. In an exclusive conversation with Sports Tak, Patel described the feeling of entering the rare elite list of bowlers.
“I can’t describe the feeling as they are two of the most experienced players with plenty of matches behind them and I am just in my 11th match, I just can’t digest this thing. I consider myself fortunate to have achieved this kind of success. The god wrote a script for me, to play at Wankhede and to pick up 10 wickets here, it won’t have been a better script for me,” said the 33-year-old.
“Yes it was challenging as I gave good performances at the U-19 level for Auckland but it was ultimately down to the level of play. I didn’t want to stop there and wanted to play at a higher level. There were physical as well as mental challenges; It wasn’t about developing spin techniques but also about the mentality as well. There were question marks as to whether I could succeed as a seamer, could I succeed as a spinner. The dream was always to play for New Zealand, but challenges like would I succeed, always surrounded my mind. My family supported me a lot during the crucial period along with my coaches who all supported gave me confidence and demanded a lot from me in terms of efforts,” the Kiwi spinner spoke on his switch to spin bowler after starting his career as a pacer.
The Mumbai-born spinner admitted that it was a dream come true for him as he completed the improbable task in the city he played as a child. The veteran spinner stated there was no secret to his success and highlighted that his hard work is the only denominator to achieve success. Having made his debut in 2018, it took only 11 matches for Ajaz to stamp his authority on the world stage.
The seamer-turned-spinner was asked about his switch, he was pragmatic and underlined that to stay in the frame for selection it was the need of the hour to make the switch. Ajaz had a good start to his career as a seam bowler having represented the nation at the Under-19 level, but lack of conviction forced him to make the switch.
When asked about the opportunity to represent India as a spinner, the 33-year-old had a pragmatic approach stating that it is tough to be a pace bowler in a country like India. There are different set of challenges for spinners and pacers in a country like India, so had he got the opportunity he would have represented as a spinner.
New Zealand didn’t have the best of the time on Indian soil as their dream of winning a Test series remains an incomplete task. The player was also quick to point out the issues that Asian-based players face while making a switch to a foreign country. The left-arm spinner believes with persistent hard work and efforts there a player can achieve success. He also said that they should look at him for inspiration.
