IND vs NZ, 3rd Test: Mumbaikar Ajaz Patel cherishes ‘homecoming’ with Wankhede return

The last time he played a Test match at the iconic Wankhede Stadium, in 2021, Patel went to claim a ten-for and no wonder, this city holds a special place in his heart.

New Zealand’s Ajaz Patel has claimed just four wickets in the ongoing series against India. | Photo Credit: MURALI KUMAR K

Ajaz Patel lives in Auckland, but he’s a Mumbaikar at heart. Having grown up in this city, before his parents emigrated to New Zealand back in 1996, Patel started his cricketing sojourn in the  maidans before chasing his dreams of playing international cricket, albeit for the Black Caps.

The last time he played a Test match at the iconic Wankhede Stadium, in 2021, Patel went to claim a ten-for and no wonder, this city holds a special place in his heart.

Three years later, as he is back ‘home’, the left-arm spinner is thankful to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for allotting a Test match in Mumbai, and he hopes to make the most of the opportunity. “It’s certainly emotional. 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,” Patel said on Wednesday.

“To be honest, after my 10-wicket haul, I wasn’t sure whether I’d get another opportunity to play out here again throughout my career. So, I’m very grateful that the BCCI has scheduled a game out here, and I get to be back home again for a little while,” he added with a smile.

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Having made his first-class debut in 2012, Patel had to wait for nearly six years to make it to the New Zealand team, and one expected things to get better after that historic ten-wickets-in-an-innings against India in Mumbai. However, that wasn’t the case. Just less than a month after that game against India, he was left out of New Zealand’s next series against Bangladesh, and quite surprisingly, he hasn’t played a Test at home since February 2020.

Patel admits that contrary to general perception, his life hasn’t changed after the ten-fer. “I don’t think it’s changed too much. It’s still very much the same after the 10-fer,” he said.

“I haven’t had as many opportunities to play, but at the same time, when you do get an opportunity to play it is very special when you’re playing for your nation, you’re playing for your country. So, every time you get that opportunity, it’s very, very special…

“So, you never take it for granted. But I guess you get recognised a little bit more here and there, but certainly, you know the craze for the sport is probably not the same as in India, in terms of the context of the number of people that are watching the sport,” Patel added.

So far in the Test series, Patel could claim just four wickets in two outings. In the last game against Pune, he bagged a couple in the second essay, even as Mitchell Santner registered a match tally of 13 wickets.

“It’s looking at what roles you’re playing for the team when it comes to a bowling perspective. Mitch (Santner) was bowling exceptionally well from the other end, so for me, it was really important that from my end, while I’m still trying to take wickets, I’m also performing the holding role and trying to restrict as many runs as possible,” Patel said.

While he plays at the Wankhede Stadium, his friends and family from the city will turn up to cheer for him, and Patel would leave no stone unturned to make his ‘homecoming’ a special affair.