On Monday, the morning after Ajaz Patel took 6-57 in a match-winning spell at Wankhede Stadium, the left-arm spinner revealed he “didn’t feel great” heading into the third Test. (Express Photo by Amit Chakravarty)
Mumbai Test hero for the Black Caps, Ajaz Patel revealed to stuff.co.nz that several members of the New Zealand squad were unwell at different points, in the course of their historic 3-0 Test series win sealed in Mumbai.
On Monday, the morning after he took 6-57 in a match-winning spell at Wankhede Stadium, the left-arm spinner revealed he “didn’t feel great” heading into the third Test.
“I’m not a doctor and I don’t know exactly what’s been going on,” Patel was quoted by stuff.co.nz. “But there have been a lot of guys at different times going through fevers and colds and stuff like that. Before the last game, Will Young was quite ill. Before that, Devon Conway was a little bit ill. Timmy’s been a little bit ill, and myself before the start of this game – I didn’t feel great,” Patel who led the victory charge, said.
Coach Gary Stead played down the matter saying it was “par for the course” playing in India, but admitting it was a challenge the Black Caps had to overcome. The searing heat and testing pitch conditions – at Pune and Mumbai tested the Kiwis to the hilt.
“We were fortunate that, I guess, in the first game – the conditions were a bit cooler – but certainly in the last two games, they weren’t easy, because it was quite hot and sticky – I guess what you’d expect out of the subcontinent,” Stead said.
“Guys were really saving their energies and making sure that they could go out there and put it all out there, so it was really special in that respect.
“It’s one of the things that you don’t really see from the outside, but being in the changing room, you see and you know how much grit the boys show to one of the things that you don’t really see from the outside, but being in the changing room, you see and you know how much grit the boys show to go out there and present themselves and perform,” the coach was quoted as saying by stuff.co.nz.
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