One of Mike Hesson's last acts as New Zealand coach was handing spinner Ajaz Patel a Test call-up in July.
And now, as the cricketing world swoons over Ajaz's dream Test debut against Pakistan - where his seven-for helped his team to a thrilling victory — Hesson is happy to see the Mumbai-born finger-spinner starting with a bang.
"He has been bowling dramatically in the last 12 months," Hesson told Sportstar early on Tuesday morning.
A late bloomer, Ajaz made his debut at the age of 30. And Hesson, who has been following the spinner for the last 18-19 months, believes Ajaz has improved immensely.
"(He is someone) who bowled a lot of overs across the wicket to right-handers and tried to play the defensive role. He has certainly made improvements in terms of controlling his pace and his shape on the ball," said Hesson, who recently took charge as the coach of Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise, Kings XI Punjab.
Read: How Mumbai-born Ajaz grew wings in New Zealand
Hesson believes Ajaz's subtle change of pace and 'the drift' he's getting were reasons behind his selection for the tour. "We identified that going into the sub-continent, the ability to slide the ball on and turn (is very important)."
After starting his international career on a high, how challenging will it be for the spinner to maintain the level?
Hesson is hopeful. "The good thing about Ajaz is that he is experienced now because he has played a lot of domestic cricket. He is very confident of his bowling," he said.
"The batsmen will try to scare him but he still has the ability to slide the ball on, also turn, and he has excellent control," he said, adding that the spinner will continue to be effective on the surfaces that offer a 'bit' to the spinners.
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