New Zealand spinner Ajaz Patel admitted his excitement to play in the country of his birth, as he is gearing up to face Team India in the upcoming two-match Test series, starting on Thursday, November 25, at Green Park in Kanpur.
Notably, Patel was born in Mumbai, India, but migrated to New Zealand when he was 8 years old. Well, the left-arm spinner has opened up about his preparations and challenges in the upcoming Test series.
The 33-year-old, who has taken 26 wickets in 9 Tests so far for New Zealand, hasn’t bowled in first-class cricket since June 2021 but feels he has enough time to prepare and get used to the conditions, as the spinner is looking to play a crucial part in the upcoming Test series against India.
As reported by PTI, Patel stated: “I have been to parts of India now that I haven’t really seen before. India has been really cool but a bit of a shame that we can’t really get out and experience India but that’s the nature of the world at the moment.”
He added, “India is about hustle and bustle. There is a bit of excitement about India. I always think about it as organized chaos to a certain degree, something that really makes it special.”
Speaking about the challenges of bowling on the Indian pitches, the left-arm spinner said: “Obviously we know what India offers in terms of spin bowling but at the same time we know the challenges of facing India at home as well. It’s a challenge as a spinner but it’s something I’m really excited about and thriving on so I’m looking forward to it.”
Patel also believes that the SG red cherry offers different challenges for overseas bowlers.
He added, “SG ball is definitely different, quite similar to the Duke. Quite a hardball and actually I am finding it quite nice to grip. But it also offers different challenges, slightly different style of bowling.”
On the preparations for the Test series, the Kiwi bowler said: “It’s been pretty good (preparation). We have been moving around a lot but at the same time, we have a lot of time to train and get used to the conditions. Hopefully, we have got enough work done.”
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Patel and off-spinner Will Somerville are likely to lead New Zealand’s spin attack in the first Test in Kanpur.
He said, “We feed off each other quite well, he offers that height and bounce whereas I offer that low skid. A left-arm spinner and a right-arm off-spinner turning it in different ways so it’s always cool to be playing together. You thrive off other spinners being in the squad and playing together as you can communicate and get a real good feel for what’s happening in the middle.”
He signed off by saying, “There will be times when he’s attacking or I’m attacking so we have a good understanding now, we’ve played a few games together so it’s exciting to have the opportunity to go out there and do it again.”
(With PTI Inputs)
