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India in perfect position in Mumbai Test despite Ajaz Patel’s historic 10-for
NZ left-arm spinner takes a 10-wicket haul for only the third time in Test history but Mayank Agarwal’s 150 and India’s spinners help hosts seize control on Day 2
India in all probability will wrap up the second Test against New Zealand by the end of Day 3. Whatever the outcome of this game at Wankhede Stadium, it will always be remembered as the Ajaz Patel Test.
The New Zealand left-arm spinner became only the third bowler in Test history to claim all 10 wickets in an innings. He achieved the feat on Saturday afternoon during his fourth spell of the innings, taking four wickets after lunch to go with the four on the opening day and the two off two balls at the start of Day 2.
Such heroic performances—Patel’s 47.5-12-119-10 came in the city of his birth making it personally memorable—are usually backed with a winning effort but to Patel’s dismay, poor batting by teammates meant he was allowed no time to savour the historic feat. Within a couple of hours he was back to bowl in the second innings.
Despite Patel’s effort, India scored a solid 325 on the tough pitch, and New Zealand’s reply lasted just 28.1 overs (8 minutes over two hours) as they were 62 all out, the lowest total in and against India. The Wankhede wicket had a lot to offer for the spinners but wasn’t unplayable. There was value for shots if the technique and shot selection was good.
The proof of it was provided by Mayank Agarwal. Showing tremendous application, the opener scored 150 (311 balls, 17x4, 4x6) in the first innings and was batting on 38 in the second as India finished Day 2 on 69/0, a lead of 332. Cheteshwar Pujara, who opened after Shubman Gill was hit on his elbow while fielding, was on 29.
AGARWAL'S DISPLAY
Resuming on 120, Agarwal knew his team was some way off a good total. He buckled down after Ajaz Patel struck a double blow in his first over of the day. The focus after that was on waiting for the right ball, and he added only 26 runs in the morning. But the team’s objective was achieved—the score had moved from 221/4 to 285/6. He duly touched 150 after lunch, but fell immediately.
Axar Patel carried the innings forward. The left-handed batsman smashed 13 runs off spinner William Somerville’s one over to take the total past 300.
It was an important innings for Axar Patel. In recent times, he has shown tremendous improvement as a left-arm spinner. But India already have a similar player in all-rounder in Ravindra Jadeja. The Gujarat player thus knows that to emerge as a serious contender for a place in the playing eleven, he must match Jadeja’s consistency with the bat. After his 28* in the second innings of the Kanpur Test, he again showed technique and temperament to complete his first half-century (52 – 128 b, 5x4, 1x6). His 67-run partnership with Agarwal was invaluable.
PATEL'S SPELL
Patel provided the only highlight for New Zealand. The spinner started with a twin strike. He first had Wriddhiman Saha caught in front of the wicket with an arm ball and cleaned up R Ashwin with a beauty that hit off-stump. Axar Patel played out the hat-trick ball.
He bowled a six-over spell (6-0-16-2) before stand-in captain, Tom Latham, gave a one over break and brought him on again. After lunch, Patel claimed the remaining four wickets (12.5-2-30-4). He finally won his duel with Mayank Agarwal when he induced a false stroke, the faint edge take by the ’keeper being his seventh wicket. Axar Patel was another hard-fought scalp, winning a review after the batsman did not offer a shot. When Jayant Yadav holed out to long-off, the bowler had four balls in the over to complete thel 10. Last man, Mohammed Siraj awkwardly survived two balls but top-edged the fifth delivery going for a slog, to be caught by Rachin Ravindra.
Patel’s effort was as much about stamina as it was about skills. He bowled 47.5 of New Zealand’s 109.5 overs, taking a wicket for less than five overs every time.
NZ CRUMBLE
When New Zealand batted, India’s spinners loomed as the main threat. To their shock, pace bowler Mohammed Siraj ambushed them early. Bowling at a lively pace, Siraj ran through the top-order, taking the first three wickets to reduce NZ to 17/3. “Spinners were dominating on this wicket, I knew I will get three-four overs and wanted to put good effort in that,” Siraj said after stumps.
He started his second over by having Will Young caught at slip by Virat Kohli and finished the over with the scalp of stand-in captain Tom Latham, inducing the in-form left-hander to hook straight to deep square-leg fielder, Shreyas Iyer. He then cleaned by the seasoned Ross Taylor with a peach of a delivery. Siraj explained: “We had placed the field for inswing, but when I stood there (at the top of the run-up) I planned that I should bowl outswing, that the ball should finish in the stumps. My rhythm was good. It’s a dream ball for a pace bowler.”
The Indian spinners couldn’t wait to bowl. Frustrated by the Kiwi tailenders’ dead defence at Kanpur, they were desperate to check the bounce of the lively track with close-in fielders around the batsmen. The absence of skipper Kane Williamson due to his elbow condition rendered the batting even more brittle.
Axar Patel struck first with a signature arm ball that slid in from a round-arm release, nailing Daryl Mitchell. With his first ball, R Ashwin went through the defence of Henry Nicholls to uproot the off-stump. New Zealand were 31/5 after 13.1 overs.
Jayant Yadav, on a comeback, got a wicket off his fourth ball at the stroke of tea. He produced a biting off-spin to get Rachin Ravindra to edge to slip. After the heroics of Patel, the visitors’ innings was in tatters at 38/6.
Ashwin ran through the tail picking three more wickets to finish with impressive figures of 8-2-8-4. India had a potentially match-winning lead of 263 runs.
PUJARA'S TEST
Cheteshwar Pujara’s form was a worry for India in this game and the No 3 was out for duck in the first innings in an ugly fashion. But Kohli didn’t enforce the follow on. With the selectors in attendance, Pujara got an opportunity to prove his form as he opened with Agarwal.
With selection for the South Africa tour on the line, Pujara played more fluently. He started with two fours in Patel’s first over, whipping him off the pads and cutting him to point. Later, he danced down and played a glorious cover drive off Patel and then pulled him to midwicket for a rare six. It's a big test for the Saurashtra batsman and the challenge will be to convert this start.
