New Zealand spinner Ajaz Patel has become the third-ever player in International cricket to pick 10 wickets in an innings. Patel achieved this remarkable feat in the second test match against India on December 04.
Before this, only Jim Laker and Anil Kumble had achieved this milestone in 1956 and 1999 respectively.
In the first innings of the test match, Ajaz Patel bowled 47.5 overs, and he picked 10 wickets by giving away 119 runs.
Ajaz Patel made his international debut in 2018. As of now, the left-arm orthodox spinner has played 11 matches and has picked 39 wickets. Interestingly, Ajaz Patel had lived in Mumbai until his eighth year, and later, he migrated to New Zealand.
On India side, Mayank Agarwal scores a century while Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara were dismissed for a duck. The home team opted to bat and the openers pitched in an 80-run partnership. New Zealand bowler Ajaz Patel has kept the pressure on India by taking four wickets.
Friday's match
Mayank Agarwal continued from where he had left off on Friday evening as India survived a two-wicket burst by New Zealand's Ajaz Patel to continuing building their innings on the second day of the second and final Test at the Wankhede Stadium on Saturday.
Ajaz claimed two wickets off successive balls in his first over of the day, trapping lbw overnight batsman Wriddhiman Saha for 27 and castling R Ashwin with one that spun and struck the off-stump.
Axar Patel survived the hat-trick ball with a solid defensive prod and then helped Agarwal propel India to safety again, avoiding fall of any more wickets till the lunch break.
India, starting at overnight 221/4 added 64 runs to their total off 28 overs in the first session. Agarwal, starting at his overnight score of 120, looked as assured as on the first day even as others struggled against Ajaz.
He lifted an Ajaz delivery over the bowler's head for a superb boundary in his his 38th over. There was only one occasion when he had to hurry with his shot but the ball landed away from Tim Southee.
Axar Patel too played well as he struck Ajaz to the boundary, rocking back on the backfoot and playing late with the turn. He also picked Southee neatly off his toes to the boundary after New Zealand had taken the new ball after 80 overs.
But India found Ajaz a constant thorn in their side as the left-arm spinner, who migrated from Mumbai to New Zealand when he was eight, continued to trouble the Indian batsmen. He gave the ball nice revs, flighted it and got a nice loop going.
Ajaz in his first spell on the second morning had figures of 6-0-16-2 and overall figures of 42-11-103-6. The other New Zealand bowlers continued to struggle for wickets.
Southee had the best of the rest with none for 43 off 22 overs. New Zealand's stand-in skipper Tom Latham, who took up the wicketkeeping gloves from Tom Blundell after 93 overs, persevered with Southee and Ajaz, bringing Kyle Jamieson and William Somerville for short bursts.
