India's players celebrates the dismissal of New Zealand's Tim Southee as the Black Caps were skittled for 62. Photo / AP
India's players celebrates the dismissal of New Zealand's Tim Southee as the Black Caps were skittled for 62. Photo / AP
From a hero to a bunch of zeroes.
The Black Caps completely wasted Ajaz Patel's historic 10-wicket performance in Mumbai, immediately slumping to their sixth-lowest test total – and the lowest ever recorded by any team in India – as they were eviscerated for 62.
After Patel hadbattled for 47.5 overs as a one-man band on his way to cricketing immortality, the Kiwi batsmen didn't honour his efforts, crumbling in a heap to Indian bowlers who found conditions as much to their liking as Patel did.
Ajaz Patel made history for the right reasons, and everyone else for the wrong reasons. Photo / Photosport
It was a seamer who made the initial incisions, with Mohammed Siraj – Patel's 10th victim – immediately turning the tables by taking three straight wickets of his own. Tom Latham, Will Young and Ross Taylor were back in the pavilion, it was 17-3, and only going to get worse.
Then it was the spinners' turn. Having successfully reviewed a dismissal to seamer Umesh Yadav, Daryl Mitchell was trapped lbw by the spin of Axar Patel, while Henry Nicholls was bowled by Ravichandran Ashwin, whose figures of 8-2-8-4 would have been headline worthy on any other day.
With the ball turning and fielders peppered around the bat, Ashwin also removed Tom Blundell, Tim Southee and Will Somerville, while Jayant Yadav dismissed Rachin Ravindra; the majority of the wickets seeing the Black Caps push, prod and generally defensively bumble their way into hapless exits.
India's players celebrates the dismissal of New Zealand's Tim Southee as the Black Caps were skittled for 62. Photo / AP
The only man who scored more runs than Patel took wickets was Kyle Jamieson, who was the last man dismissed, for 17, and after 28.1 overs which ended with him appropriately unbeaten, Patel was handed the ball again, his achievement somewhat soured – at least in the immediate context of the test - by his teammates' struggles.
Had India enforced the follow on, the test may have been close to conclusion by now, but instead they opted to extend the Black Caps' misery.
At stumps, the hosts showed no signs of the apparent minefield the visitors were batting on, with Mayank Agarwal and Cheteshwar Pujara guiding their side to 69-0.
Patel should have had an 11th wicket, with an appeal for lbw on Pujara ruled not out, and no review was forthcoming when replays showed the umpire's verdict would have been overturned.
India lead by 332 runs, and now the only excitement left in this test is to see how many more scalps Patel can add to his legendary display.
