A surreal, bittersweet day for Mumbai's Ajaz Patel
Ejaz recorded against his native India
Jim Laker could not congratulate. He has no chance. The Englishman did not return to the country 35 years ago, but Anil Kumble did not delay.
Kumble immediately congratulated the youngest member of the '10 wickets in an innings' club in the Tests. Welcome to Ejaz Patel's "Perfect 10" club. Great ball. It is very difficult to do it between the first and second day of the test.
Hard? He is! In the 144-year history of Test cricket, only two bowlers have made it to the 'Perfect 10' club - Laker against Australia in 1958 and Kumble against Pakistan in 1999.
Today, New Zealand left-arm spinner Ejaz Patel sits next to the two legends in the list. His bowling figure in India's first innings in the Mumbai Test -10 / 119!
After such a performance of Ejaz, some of the Indian supporters may even call him 'the enemy of the house'! It is not uncommon for Indian fans to be so passionate about the game.
Ejaz Yunus Patel was born in Mumbai, India, where the second Test of the series is underway. He made it to the rare list when he took the field in this Test. Ejaz Patel is the second Indian-born cricketer to play a Test in his hometown against the hosts on Indian soil.
A surreal, bittersweet day for Mumbai's Ajaz Patel
The first on the list is a legend. In the 'Bodyline Series', fielded like a frog's umbrella on the leg side, Bradman's Australia 'famous' or 'infamous', whatever you say, is the first name to come up around the series. Douglas Jardine!
The legendary England fast bowler was also born in Mumbai, India. Jardine led England in the first Test on Indian soil in 1933. That test was also held in Mumbai. Jardine, 33, did not play in the 9-wicket win over England. Ejaz is therefore at least ahead of Jardine here
Just why there, Ejaz is now at the top of the list. Ejaz now has the best bowling figure after playing Tests in his hometown against his hometown. Gulabrai Ramchand, a former Indian fast bowler born in Karachi, Pakistan, topped the list for so long.
In the 1955 Karachi Test against Pakistan, Ramchand took 6 wickets for 49 runs in an innings. Andrew Caddick (England, 6/73) against New Zealand in 2002 and Devon Malcolm (England, 6/7) against the West Indies in 1990.
Ejaz Patel was named in the 'Perfect 10' in the 11th Test of his career. Before him, another Patel could have written his name on this list. In the 1955 Test in Karachi where Ramchand took 6 wickets, Jasubhai Patel made his debut for India.
The former A-off spinner took 9 wickets for 69 runs in an innings against Australia in Kanpur after four years. Whatever he is, Patel, who signed for the Kumble-Lacers club today, took 10 wickets in an innings as the first bowler outside that house to be unique in one place compared to his two predecessors. That was also the first bowler in the first innings of the Test! In other words, Ejaz Patel made this feat when the wicket was not completely spin-friendly. The meaning of Kumble's tweet is now clear.
Siraj, spinners leave NZ reeling after Ajaz Patel's historic 10-wicket haul
Legendary England fast bowler George Lohmann held the top spot with 9 wickets for 26 runs, though he had not taken 10 wickets in the previous innings. Lohmann took 9 for 26 against South Africa in Johannesburg in 1896.
Kohli will silence the critics with a century
He is considered one of the best batsmen in the world today. Some went straight ahead and gave the title of the best batsman. With Virat Kohli, this title does not seem to be an exaggeration at all. But! Isn't it a bit of an exaggeration to call a batsman in international cricket who has not seen the face of a century for two years the 'best'?
This is the question that is being asked around Kohli now. In the first innings of the Mumbai Test, the Indian captain was dismissed for zero after playing 4 balls. Out is controversial, but out is out! Kohli's form has already raised eyebrows. The latest 'call' made that frown even bigger.
Large size batsmen usually come out of these situations. How? Think of Brian Lara or Sachin Tendulkar.
Two legends have always given the answer to bad form or criticism at-bat. What could be a bigger answer than the century! That's exactly what Simon Dull, a former New Zealand fast bowler and commentator, said about Kohli. A century could be the key to shutting the mouths of Kohli's critics.
Doyle thinks Kohli knows how many innings he has not scored this century. Dool, who played 32 Tests and 42 ODIs for New Zealand, ended his career early due to injury. However, Dule's popularity as a commentator and analyst is reflected in his understanding of cricket.
Talking to Indian media India Today, he said of Kohli's poor form, "Virat himself knows how many innings he has not scored a century. He may say, I did not keep the account. But I don't think that's true. When he got the last century, of course, he remembers it and knows it too, another century I want to silence the critics. So, like everyone else, he is feeling the pressure. '
‘He says he doesn’t know, but he isn’t being honest’: Ex-NZ bowler says Kohli ‘knows he needs a 100 to silence critics’
Kohli scored his last century against Bangladesh in the day and night Test in Kolkata in November 2019. Sometimes it is not that he did not get a run at all, there is an innings of fifty runs. But batsmen the size of Kohli have set their standard of play so high that it is not uncommon to think they are out of form without a century! "He set the standard himself," Dule said. That's the problem. It is difficult to hold it all the time when you take yourself so high. Many people go through such a time in their careers, the same goes for Kohli. Hopefully, he will get a century in the next Test, not this Test.
India was all out for 325 in the first innings. New Zealand is batting in their first innings on the second day today. Kohli's century in India's second Test means New Zealand is in danger. So maybe Dull doesn't want Kohli's century in this Test.
Very nice