The first cricket Test between India and New Zealand resulted in a feverish contest on the last day at Kanpur, as New Zealand fought tooth and nail for an honourable draw with the tenth wicket pair holding forth strongly. India tried all tactics with fielders breathing on the batsmen neck and the bowlers trying to strike a blow. The Kiwis last pair stood firm and couldn't be separated with 52 balls to go, Ravindra and Ajaz showed that fortune favours the brave and fought for a draw with conviction. In a way, Young’s controversial dismissal paved the way for poetic justice while saving New Zealand from the jaws of defeat.
At the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai, as the battle royale began with India winning the toss and choosing to bat first, Mayank Agarwal and Shubnam Gill put up a healthy first wicket partnership. Mayank went on to score a stroke-filled 150 and not being satisfied with that, he also came out with a cameo: 62 runs. By now, Mayank had won the accolades of every cricket loving Indian. As the game progressed and with the fall of Gill’s wicket, the New Zealand spinner Ajaz Patel unravelled his skill maintaining a good line and length, bowling with guile and beating almost every batsman with his flight and trajectory and also varying subtle pace. He dismissed Poojara and Kohli in no time after sending Gill back to the pavilion. For skipper Kohli who is out of form and got out lbw to Patel, the only relief for his dismissal came from the Australian spin legend Shane Warne who opined that the India’s captain was given out in a dubious way. Ajaz Patel had become unplayable pegging away his lethal deliveries to dismiss one batsman after the other. Patel’s stupendous bowling analysis read, after India’s innings, with staggering figures of 47.5-12-119-10. At the Wankhede, he had equalled the record set by the English spinner Jim Laker decades ago and later on also equalled by Anil Kumble’s 10 wicket haul. Patel’s match figure read an astounding 73.5-15-225-14 which was by any standards a herculean effort.
