In His Birth-Place Mumbai, India-Born NZ Spinner Ajaz Patel Creates History By Taking 10 Wickets In An Innings

The internet was bustling with best wishes when IIT-Bombay alumnus Parag Agrawal took over Twitter as its CEO. Now, another India-born sportsperson has been earning lauds online because of his amazing feat.

Cricketer Ajaz Yunus Patel, who represents New Zealand, recently became the third bowler in the history of men’s Test cricket to take all ten wickets in an innings.

 

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Earlier, English professional cricketer Jim Laker and former Indian cricketer and cricket coach Anil Kumble were able to achieve this milestone

The 33-year-old left-arm spinner made everyone proud in the second Test against India wherein he claimed 10 wickets in Mumbai, his birthplace. India was all out at 325 in their first innings on Day 2.

Interestingly, Patel and his family emigrated from Mumbai to Auckland, New Zealand in 1996 when he was eight years old, reported The Indian Express.

 

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While he struggled to earn a living, cricket happened to him.

“I was more of a school and home guy. I did not have too many friends to play the game in the streets or the nearby ground and we were just finding our feet in the new country. I used to play cricket when I was a child in Mumbai with my cousins and friends in school,” The Indian Express quoted him as saying.

But it was only after his aunt forcefully admitted him into a cricketing club along with her kids that he started enjoying the sport. Even after achieving considerable success in his early years, he wasn’t sure of entering the under-19 club.

“Once he got a hang of it, he was unstoppable. He would keep bowling throughout the day. Sometimes I had to force him to take a few days’ break. But he wouldn’t listen and wanted to make up for the lost time. He had set an individual goal of bowling a particular number of deliveries a day,” recalled Auckland U-19 coach and former New Zealand off-spinner Dipak Patel.

Now, life has come full circle for this desi boy when he created a sporting history against the country of his birth in the city of his birth.

 

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This is how eminent cricketing personalities and the world reacted to his achievement:

It’s indeed a moment to be celebrated. Kudos, young man.

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