New Zealand registered a historic 3-0 series whitewash against India. However, they had to overcome different types of challenges. The major hurdle among them was the nature of the pitches, with different conditions in Bengaluru, Pune and Mumbai as well. But, they conquered all and beat India convincingly at their den to win the series as well.

Speaking to the media in a Zoom conference, Ajaz Patel opened up on the different conditions that New Zealand faced and the preparations they had in place to tackle to the challenge.

“It’s been three different surfaces and three different games, and I guess we’re well aware that one of the challenges of going to Asia is that the conditions are going to change all the time and you have to be adaptable and even within the game the conditions change very quickly. I mean even in this Mumbai Test I was bowling…I think in the first innings and I felt like I was bowling really well but the wicket wasn’t really turning and then I came back after Lunch and all of a sudden everything started happening,” he said.

“So I guess when you come to the subcontinent it’s about having that skill set and that range of being able to whether it be bowl in the high 90s or bowl in the low 80s and being able to be adaptable in those ranges I guess from the outset. It’s also reading the surface quickly because the conditions like I say do change at a constant (rate). Sometimes the conditions in the morning can be very different to the conditions in that middle session and so as a spinner it’s about knowing how to get the most out of that, how to change your pace, how to go up and down while still having the ball shape,” again said Ajaz.

ALSO READ: “Shubman’s captaincy is very good” – Ravi Bishnoi on Shubman Gill

“If I’m honest with you, we had a great winter back home where we prepared on turning wickets and we made sure we had different surfaces that we tried and practiced on so we were, I guess, conditioned to bowling on different surfaces as well. So yeah it’s a lot to do with preparation but then it’s also about backing your skills and kind of I guess you know going out there and doing it really,” he further added.

However, before the Test series against India, New Zealand couldn’t play the Test match against Afghanistan in Greater Noida as the match was abandoned without a single ball being bowled. Then, in the two-match series against Sri Lanka, they were lost 2-0 by the hosts, with New Zealand losing the toss in both games. In India, however, they had the best batting conditions and they used that very well.

While talking about this, Ajaz said: “I guess, from Sri Lanka to here, I don’t think we were too much different, to be honest with you. I think we played some really good cricket in Sri Lanka, but unfortunately (we lost the series). When you come to the subcontinent, the toss is so important and bowling in the last innings in comparison to bowling in the third innings, especially on a turning wicket, can sometimes be the difference as spinners. While the results didn’t go our way in Sri Lanka, I don’t feel like we played too poorly or anything like that. Even from a batting department, we still put runs on the board. It was just a matter of, I guess, you know, having a bit of luck our way as well in the series.”

Ajaz Patel also credited spin consultant Rangana Herath for his contributions as well as the strategic insights that helped the New Zealand spinners do well against the Indian batters. He also opened up on the importance of the straighter delivery for a spinner and how it makes things difficult for batters on turning tracks as well.

ALSO READ: Hardik Pandya shares happiness after winning back the love of fans

“Obviously he’s got a wealth of experience in the subcontinent, and his record kind of speaks for itself, really, in terms of left-arm spin bowling. So I mean, for me, it was great to have him because we’re quite similar, I guess, in terms of the style of bowling that we both bowl. But I think the biggest thing was, he gave us a really good idea around the kind of fields to set in terms of Asian conditions, and still be attacking, but also at the same time, have our options to limit the boundaries as well,” he added.

“It’s an art,” said Ajaz Patel about the straighter delivery. “Every spinner should have it. Especially if you come to Asia or the subcontinent, the most difficult thing is to bowl a straight ball. Because on a lot of wickets, if you want to turn the ball, you can, but the challenge is to keep the ball straight. Rangana has helped a lot in that. He’s taught us some new techniques, some action techniques. So, the batsmen don’t get cues quickly. We’ve practiced all of that. And we knew that in batting as well, for our batsmen, the straight ball is dangerous. So, we’ve taken care of that in batting as well as in bowling.”