Daily Times

New Zealand spinner Ajaz Patel said Wednesday that returning to his birthplace Mumbai after his 10-wicket haul there three years ago made for an “emotional” homecoming ahead of the third Test against India.

The Black Caps sealed a first-ever Test series victory on Indian soil last week in Pune and are now chasing a 3-0 sweep in the final match starting Friday at Wankhede Stadium.

In December 2021 at the same venue, Ajaz became only the third bowler in Test history to take all 10 wickets in an innings.

New Zealand lost the match but Ajaz joined elite company alongside England off-spinner Jim Laker (1956 at Old Trafford) and Indian spin ace Anil Kumble (1999 in Delhi).

“Certainly emotional,” Ajaz, 36, told reporters.

“I guess being back in Mumbai is always quite special and it’s a place I call home as well. Having the opportunity to play out here again is quite special.”

He added: “To be honest, after my 10-wicket haul I wasn’t sure whether I’d get another opportunity to play out here again.”

New Zealand beat India at their own game of spin for a 113-run victory in the second Test on a turning Pune pitch. Ajaz’s fellow left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner excelled with a match haul of 13 wickets as top Indian batters including skipper Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli flopped.

But Ajaz, who made his Test debut in 2018 after moving to Auckland from Mumbai with his parents, said India still remain the favourites.

“I think India still have the wood on us when it comes to playing on turning wickets and traditionally the Indian batters have I guess done well on turning surfaces,” said Ajaz.

“Obviously they haven’t had maybe as much success as they would have liked in this series so far, but they’re certainly an opposition that are very, very skilled and not the easiest to come up against.”

India assistant coach Abhishek Nayar said the home team’s knowledge of the surface will help them counter New Zealand at Wankhede.

“We have to give a lot of credit to New Zealand, the way they have played and the way they have countered spin,” he said.

“A lot of the guys have played a lot of local cricket here and the understanding of what these conditions are and how the pitch is going to pan out.”