Ajaz Patel
Ajaz Patel (Image Credit: Twitter)

Left-arm spinner Ajaz Patel said that the New Zealand side isn’t paying much attention to their past record in India and will go in the second Test, in Mumbai, with the mindset to win. It would also be a nostalgic moment for the spinner to play in the city of his birth.

The Kiwis managed to avoid a loss in the first Test in Kanpur, courtesy of a 52-ball stand between Ajaz Patel and Rachin Ravindra for the last wicket.

New Zealand have never won a Test series in India; their last Test match win came in 1988. However, Ajaz Patel stated that the Black Caps have the “sense of self-belief” of overturning this record in the second Test.

Kyle Jamieson
New Zealand Cricket team. Credits: BCCI

“For us, it’s still going into a game with the possibility of taking the series and we know the history around playing cricket in India, we know how difficult it has been in the past,” Ajaz Patel told reporters on Tuesday.

“The beauty about this team at the moment is we don’t really look at history too much. We look at the present. We have the sense of self-belief that we can cause upsets anywhere and we’ve done that recently to kind of be able to take the World Test Championship.”

Ajaz Patel excited to play in front of his family

Ajaz Patel was eight-year-old when his family shifted to New Zealand. 25 years later, he gets an opportunity to return to his home city and play a Test against India.

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He’d be having his friends and family in the stands and is excited to play in front of them.

Ajaz Patel
Ajaz Patel. Photo: Getty

“I have got various members of the family coming in on different days of the game. I guess it’s the beauty of Test cricket. Everyone can come in on days that they are free.

“I don’t think about it [playing in front of the family] as pressure, it’s more of excitement. I know we didn’t get off at the airport. I have got a lot of flashbacks – leaving Mumbai for the first time and coming back to Mumbai for the first time, coming to Mumbai from a wedding and stuff like that. For me, it’s going to be a very, very special moment,” the spinner stated.

India will welcome back Virat Kohli to lead the side in Mumbai.

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