ICC World Test Championship Final: Ajaz Patel Getting Goosebumps Thinking About The Prospect of Playing Against The Country Of His Birth India

New Zealand left-arm orthodox Ajaz Patel is getting goosebumps while thinking about the prospect of playing against the country of his birth- India– in the upcoming ICC World Test Championship final at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton.

Patel believes that his life has come a full circle and he is looking forward to creating memories of a lifetime if he gets a chance in the marquee encounter.

The left-arm orthodox, who made his Test debut in 2018, emigrated with his family from Mumbai to New Zealand back in 1996.

“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 in a video shared by the latter on Twitter.

“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.

Ajaz Patel had to go through a decade-long grind in domestic cricket before he finally got a chance to represent his adopted country in 2018.

Having initially started as a medium-pacer, Patel switched to becoming a left-arm orthodox but it was only after he finished as the leading wicket-taker for his domestic side Central Stags for three consecutive seasons in a row that he finally got his opportunity in international cricket.

The left-arm orthodox also talked about his experience of playing in England, admitting that he learned a lot while playing for Surrey.

“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.

Ajaz Patel was the leading wicket-taker for the Kiwis during their historic Test series win in the UAE against Pakistan in 2018.

In eight Tests, the left-arm orthodox has claimed 22 wickets at an average of 33.32 with two five-fors.

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Watch the video here:

What’s it like for Ajaz Patel to be staying at the venue for the @ICC #WTC21 Final v @BCCI ? #goosebumps @AjazP pic.twitter.com/YJcAKFLVre

— BLACKCAPS (@BLACKCAPS) May 21, 2021