Anil Kumble welcomes Ajaz Patel to Perfect 10 club

On 7 February 1999 legspinner Anil Kumble gatecrashed into what was then a oneman club joining England offspinner Jim Laker as the only men in Test history to have taken all 10 wickets in a Test innings It had taken 43 years for Laker to stop feeling lonely at the top On Saturday in less than half that time the Perfect Ten club welcomed its third member at the Wankhede StadiumWhen New Zealand leftarm spinner Ajaz Patel born in Mumbai 33 summers back had Mohammed Siraj caught by Rachin Ravindra he ensured that spinners of all ilk populated the rarefied stratosphereKumble sir as Ajaz endearingly referred to him within minutes of signing off with remarkable figures of 10 for 119 was among the first to congratulate on social media the newest star adding ldquoA special effort to achieve it on Day 1 and 2 of a Test matchrdquolsquoNot something you can planrsquoldquoThis is not something you can plan for as a bowlerrdquo Kumble chuckled as he reflected on what it takes for a bowler to dismiss all 10 opposition batsmen in an inningsAlso Read When Jogeshwari boy Ajaz Patel silenced fans at WankhedeldquoOf course you plan for every batsman you think of ways to get them out but you never go on to the field thinking you are going to take all 10 Itrsquos destiny one of those things that happen It takes a lot of hard work bowling long spells yes but so many other things need to fall in place As well as one might bowl the catches need to go to hand the fielders need to take those catches Thatrsquos what happened with Ajaz as it happened with me all those years backrdquoMemories of that wintry afternoon at the Ferozeshah Kotla came flooding back as Kumble reflected on his emotions after taking 10 for 74 on Day Four against Pakistan bowling India to a comprehensive 212run victoryldquoThe first emotion I felt was delight that we had defeated Pakistanrdquo he recalled ldquoThat was the most important thing that we won the match against Pakistan and squared the series especially after how the first Test in Chennai which India lost agonisingly by 12 runs had gone It was the fourth innings of the match and we were able to celebrate both the moment and the victory on the field that made it quite special for me Ajaz finds himself in a different place now His 10for came away from home in the first innings of the Test but New Zealand are not too well placed However that doesnrsquot take anything away from a truly memorable achievementrdquoThat Afridi dismissalPakistan were 101 without loss in 241 overs chasing 420 when Kumble got rid of Shahid Afridi In Mumbai India had reached 80 without loss on the first afternoon in 272 overs when Shubman Gill became the first of Ajazrsquos 10 victimsldquoA fast bowler might get four or five wickets in a clutch but not many pacers can bowl 15 or 20over spells like spinnersrdquo Kumble rationalised about spinners monopolising Perfect 10ldquoOn the flip side you can only get 10 wickets if you start with the openerrsquos wicket India were 80 when Ajaz took the first wicket so again itrsquos just one of those things that happenrdquoKumble had played nine years of international cricket before the 10 for 74 ldquoMy life changedrdquo he admittedldquoEverybody started expecting a 10for after that Maybe and hopefully for Ajaz those expectations wonrsquot happen in New Zealand But itrsquos wonderful what he has achieved and I am sure his life will changemdashthe Perfect 10 man is what he will be known for I am truly happy for him ldquoWhat a great thing to do in your birthplace in Mumbai to get all 10 wicketsrdquoAlso Read Wankhede Test Day 2 Mayank Agarwal inching towards 150 India 2856 at lunch