Despite New Zealand’s slim lead of 143 runs with only one wicket remaining in their second innings, spinner Ajaz Patel believes India will face a challenging chase on a deteriorating Wankhede pitch.
Patel, who claimed five wickets in India’s first innings, highlighted the unpredictable nature of the pitch as a key factor in the match’s outcome. He noted that the pitch has historically exhibited less turn and bounce in the morning sessions compared to the afternoons, making it crucial to understand how it will play in the crucial morning session.
“It’s turning quite sharply, it’s inconsistent in terms of how much it does turn and bounce, but as a spinner it’s encouraging as well that you’re going to get something out of the surface and for batting it’s quite challenging,” Patel said. “It is certainly turning from both ends, it’s just the bounce is a little bit variable, so from a batting perspective that can be a challenge as well.”
Patel acknowledged Rishabh Pant’s counter-attacking 60 as a pivotal moment in the match. “I felt like I bowled really well but Rishabh batted exceptionally, he’s been phenomenal throughout this tour and he’s kind of the player that’s put pressure back on us, regardless of the situation,” He said. “As long as you’re putting the ball in good areas and you have a good plan and a good set field, then it’s about him taking the option and he is being very, very good and taking the right options.”
Despite his own success and the commendable performance of New Zealand’s spin attack, Patel refrained from claiming superiority over their Indian counterparts. “I don’t necessarily believe we’ve out-bowled the Indian spinners, the class of the Indian bowling attack is quite phenomenal,” the spinner said. “For us as a spin bowling group, we’ve grown a lot and we can continue to show that everyone is quite capable, there’s a lot of communication between us and we make sure that we’re all aware of what the plan is at a certain given time.”
As the match enters its final stages, the focus will be on how the pitch plays and how both teams adapt to the challenging conditions. India will need to navigate the deteriorating surface and chase down the target without losing too many wickets, while New Zealand will aim to exploit the pitch’s inconsistencies and defend their lead.
