New Zealand’s batsmen collapsed to 62 all out in the second Test on Saturday after their Mumbai-born spinner Ajaz Patel claimed a record 10 wickets in India’s 325.
Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin claimed four wickets and fast bowler Mohammed Siraj three, leaving New Zealand trailing the hosts by 263 runs on the second day at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium. India did not enforce the follow-on.
Earlier Ajaz emulated England’s Jim Laker (1956 v Australia) and Indian spin legend Anil Kumble (1999 v Pakistan) to complete his perfect 10 in the second session.
He returned figures of 10-119 with his left-arm spin but Mayank Agarwal’s 150 and a 52 by Axar Patel helped India to a challenging total on a turning track.
In the New Zealand innings Siraj, who replaced injured Ishant Sharma in the team, struck early to send back Will Young for four.
He then got two wickets including stand-in-skipper Tom Latham for 10, and Ross Taylor, for one, on either side of overs to be on a hat-trick that was avoided by Henry Nicholls.
Axar then got Daryl Mitchell out for eight and soon fellow spinner Ashwin joined in to claim Nicholls as the Kiwis slipped further.
Kyle Jamieson top-scored with 17 but none of the Kiwi batsmen survived the bowling onslaught as they went down to the lowest-ever Test score against India by any side.
The previous lowest Test score in India was the home side’s 75 against West Indies at Delhi in 1987.
Patel’s Perfect 10:
Patel became only the third bowler to pick up all 10 wickets in an innings in international cricket.
“Welcome to the club #AjazPatel #Perfect10. Well bowled! A special effort to achieve it on day one and two of a test match,” spin bowling great Kumble, who took 619 test wickets for India, said on Twitter.
Mumbai-born left-armer Ajaz, whose parents emigrated to New Zealand in 1996, added six wickets to the four he took on the first day on Friday to finish with figures of 10-119.
Ajaz, who started his career as a fast bowler, extracted sharp turn and bounce from the pitch and carried the New Zealand bowling on his shoulders to restrict the hosts’ first innings total to 325.
After picking up the wickets of Wriddhiman Saha and Ravichandran Ashwin in his first over on Saturday, the stocky spinner returned after the lunch interval to take the remaining four to wrap up India’s innings.
As Rachin Ravindra pouched a skier from India’s number 11 batter Mohammed Siraj to confirm the fall of the final wicket, Ajaz went down on one knee with a clenched fist before being hugged by his teammates.
He also received a standing ovation from the Indian team in the dressing room and the sparse crowd at the ground overlooking the Arabian Sea.
While Ajaz dominated the proceedings with the ball, it was Mayank Agarwal who scored the bulk of the runs for the hosts on the tricky surface.
Agarwal reached 150 with a cut shot off Ajaz but was caught behind on the next delivery. All-rounder Axar Patel provided able support with a knock of 52, his maiden Test half-century.
