A usual busy Saturday in Mumbai as every time a match takes place at the Wankhede Stadium, it is nothing less a festival for the localities. This time though after Day 1 of the encounter between India and New Zealand, the limelight was on Mayank Agarwal, who resumed his innings at 120. Yes, he did go ahead and score a classy 150.
However, that was overshadowed by one of the most prestigious and majestic feats achieved by Indian-origin New Zealand spinner Ajaz Patel, who become only the third bowler in the history of Test cricket to pick up 10 wickets in innings.
| Player | Country | Opposition | Figures | Venue |
| Jim Laker | England | Australia | 53/10 | Manchester |
| Anil Kumble | India | Pakistan | 74/10 | Delhi |
| Ajaz Patel | New Zealand | India | 119/10 | Mumbai |
Not many would have imagined this scenario after his mediocre performance at Kanpur but he was seen to be a completely different bowler as he made full use of the conditions, well yes this time we can make a statement when we say full.
đź‘Ź @AjazP https://t.co/DdHOGs54QA
— BLACKCAPS (@BLACKCAPS) December 4, 2021
Patel began his onslaught by picking up four wickets on Day 1 and it was only when he managed to pick up wickets of Saha and Ashwin off back-to-back deliveries in his very first over of the day, the pundits and followers ignited the thought of this feat. The brilliance continued further into the tail and thanks to the aggressive gameplay of India’s number 11- Mohammad Siraj, the Kiwis did not have to wait long to celebrate the feat.
Breakdown of Patel's spells
| 24-10-57-4 | 5-0-16-0 | 6-0-16-2 | 12.5-2-30-4 |
Despite the controversies surrounding the Indian skipper’s dismissal, the left-armer ensured he did not let go of his focus and ensured every ball he bowled was an event. The cameras did get hold of the 33-year old having a view at the Wankhede Stadium honors board while making his walk to the stadium on Day 2.
Well, now his name is not just on the honors board but he has now etched his names into the record books, and there is no doubt he will be now celebrated across the cricketing world. Let us have a look at the various records that the 33-year old managed to break during his tremendous feat.
# Ajaz Patel is the only Kiwi bowler to pick 10 wickets in an innings and now also proudly owns the best figures by a Kiwi in an innings (119/10)
# His figures are also now the best bowling performance against team India in the longest format. The record was previously held by Jack Noreiga of West Indies (95/9).
# He is the first bowler to achieve this feat in the current millennium. The record was first achieved by Jim Laker in 1956 followed by Anil Kumble of India in 1999.
Welcome to the club #AjazPatel #Perfect10 Well bowled! A special effort to achieve it on Day1 & 2 of a test match. #INDvzNZ
— Anil Kumble (@anilkumble1074) December 4, 2021
# Out of the three players to have achieved the feat, Patel stands to be the only bowler to achieve the feat away from home.
# This is also the best figures by a left-arm bowler in the longest format of the game and is the first left-armer to achieve the feat.
# This is also the first time the feat has been achieved in the first innings of a Test match. On both the previous two occasions, the feat was achieved in the second innings and also for a winning cause.
Numbers game
# The last time the record was achieved was way back in 1999, during the 1443rd Test match. The first-ever time it was done was back during the 428th Test match and currently, the record was achieved in the 2438th Test match, which almost places them exactly after 1000 matches. Will we have to wait for another 1000 matches to witness this achievement again?
# This is the second time the record has been achieved in India. The previous record by Indian legend Anil Kumble was achieved at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi.
# India’s total of 325 is also the highest total when a bowler has managed to pick all 10 wickets in an innings.
A spectacular day for the sport as we got to witness one of the most distinctive achievements in cricket. Despite the tremendous bowling effort, the Indians managed to notch up a decent total on the board and it would be interesting how the Indian bowlers on this rank turner. Can Ajaz Patel once again spin a web around the Indian batsmen? We are definitely in for an enthralling contest.
Stay tuned with Cricwizz for all the latest and exclusive content and do let us know your thoughts on who do you think in the current era can break join this elite list.
