Ajaz Patel Is Getting Goosebumps While Thinking About Playing Against India In WTC Final

May 23, 2021 at 1:33 PM

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Ajaz Patel Is Getting Goosebumps While Thinking About Playing Against India In WTC Final

Ajaz Patel, the Indian-born New Zealand spinner, is getting goosebumps thinking about playing against his birth country in the marquee World Test Championship Final (WTC) at Southampton. Ajaz Patel believes he has gone ‘full circle’ and is set to create myriad stories and memories for the future.

Ajaz Patel was born and brought up in Mumbai. His parents moved to New Zealand when he was eight in search of better financial opportunities and have lived there ever since.

Ajaz Patel
Ajaz Patel. (Photo Source: Twitter)

Ajaz Patel Getting Goosebumps Thinking About Playing Against India

Ajaz Patel started as a medium-pacer in New Zealand but soon shifted to left-arm spin, only to become one of the best in the craft in his country. The 32-year-old recalled the journey on Sunday and said he hopes to cherish this amazing phase in the future.

“Yeah, I just got goosebumps thinking about it, to be honest. From where I started my journey in terms of immigrating to New Zealand to then be in a position where you are in England, the home of cricket, playing against India one of the best nations when it comes to cricket and also your birth country while representing New Zealand which I now call home. It’s kind of like going full circle,” Ajaz Patel told New Zealand Cricket.

“But you know, that’s my cricketing journey and I guess it would be quite rewarding to play against India out there and hope I could sit back and look back at something like that in the future and go ‘that was an amazing time in my career’. I’m sure [it’s] something any cricketer would cherish for as long as they live and it’ll be a hell of a story to tell later on,” he added.

Ish Sodhi and Mitchell Santner
Ish Sodhi and Mitchell Santner ©AFP

Ajaz Patel Spent Time In Surrey Cricket Club In England And Enjoyed

Ajaz Patel also talked about his experience playing county cricket in England, saying that he has always enjoyed and learned a lot from his time in the country.

“It was a great experience. I learned a lot from it and took a lot back. It’s kind of nice to be back here I have always enjoyed my time in England. I have played a couple of seasons of club cricket down here, County Cricket Club in Surrey. So, I have spent a bit of time here and I do enjoy playing cricket in England,” asserted Ajaz Patel.

The WTC Final between New Zealand and Virat Kohli’s India will commence on June 18. Kane Williamson’s New Zealand and England will lock horns in a 2-Test series before it, starting on June 2.

New Zealand a the only team that got the better of India in the Test series during the WTC group stage. India lost the series 0-2 to the Blackcaps in early 2020.  New Zealand has registered some crucial wins over India in the recent past including the iconic victory in the 2019 World Cup Semifinal. In the WTC final, Virat Kohli-led India will look to take revenge for the 2019 WC exit from the Blackcaps.

Apart from the pacer Kyle Jamieson, the left-arm spinner Ajaz Patel and batsman Devon Conway had also earned their maiden New Zealand central contracts in 2020/21. Ajaz Patel made his international debut in 2018 and has played eight Tests and two T20Is where he has taken 22 and 1 wickets respectively.

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