Team India got off to a great start to their season by winning the first match of the Test series against Bangladesh. Team India, who played 10 consecutive Tests over the next few months, easily won the first Test match in Chennai by a margin of 280 runs. Now Team India’s focus will be on the second Test match to be played in Kanpur. Now, though the team and each player focus on one match at a time, they have a glimpse of the danger that lies ahead next month. This is the threat that will put the most tension on Team India captain Rohit Sharma and star batsman Virat Kohli, who failed miserably in the first Test. This threat could cause trouble for both the batsmen in the India-New Zealand series.
While Team India was celebrating their victory in Chennai on Sunday afternoon, September 22, the Sri Lankan batsmen were facing problems at their home ground in Galle, nearly 900 kilometers away. It was the fourth day of the first Test match between Sri Lanka and New Zealand and the host Sri Lanka team was batting in the second innings. By the third day, Sri Lanka had made 240 runs for the loss of 4 wickets and the team looked in good shape but lost the remaining 6 wickets in the first session itself. The entire team was bundled out for 309 runs. Ejaz Patel did the same to Sri Lanka.
Ejaz Patel created an uproar
Indian-origin left-arm spinner Ejaz Patel wreaked havoc on the pitch on day four. He took 5 of Sri Lanka’s 6 wickets on Sunday morning. He first dismissed captain Dhananjay de Silva and then dismissed him. His next victims were Kusal Mendis, Angelo Mathews, Ramesh Mendis and number 10 batsman Lahiru Kumara. Earlier on the third day, he took the wicket of Dimuth Karunaratne who played a brilliant innings of 83 runs. In this way, Ijaz took 6 wickets by giving 90 runs in 30 overs. He also took 2 wickets in the first innings. That is, in the first test, he showed his talent by taking 8 wickets.
After the Sri Lanka tour, New Zealand will have to travel to India to play 3 Test matches. The series, which starts in October, will focus on the spinners and Ajaz Patel will be responsible for New Zealand. If he comes into the India tour with such form, it is a wake-up call for Team India’s two biggest batsmen, Rohit and Virat. In the first Test match against Bangladesh, Virat scored a total of 23 runs and Rohit scored only 11 runs. Both batsmen are likely to return to form before the New Zealand series but the threat will still remain in the form of Ajaz Patel.
A threat to Rohit-Virat and Shubman
The reason for this risk is the records of both the batsmen. In fact, in the last 3 years, Rohit and Virat have looked very troubled against left-arm spinners. Statistics show that in these three years, Rohit has faced 473 balls against left-arm spinners and scored 277 runs but has also been dismissed 8 times during this period. While Virat Kohli has scored 272 runs from 686 balls but also lost his wicket 9 times. Not only Rohit-Virat, but also Shubman Gill, who scored a century in Chennai, will be a threat. Prior to the Chennai Test, Gill had scored just 202 runs in 481 balls against left-arm spinners and conceded his wicket 10 times.
Will you wonder again in Mumbai?
Everyone remembers Ejaz Patel for his historic performance, which was seen only in the 2021 tour of India. After that, Ijaz shocked the world by taking all 10 wickets in the first innings of the Mumbai Test. He became only the third bowler in cricket history to do so. The batsmen who were subsequently dismissed include Virat Kohli, Shubman Gill and Ravichandran Ashwin, who will also play against New Zealand this time. They didn’t even let Kohli open an account. Not only that, Patel also took 3 wickets in the second innings. This time also the Test will be played between India and New Zealand at the Wankhede Stadium. In such a situation, eyes will be on Ejaz again.
