"Not getting many Test opportunities breeds more hunger", says Ajaz Patel

Following his 10wicket haul Ajaz Patel was disappointed for not getting many opportunities to prove himself in Test cricket He believes that such setbacks boosts the drive and ambition of New Zealand spinners to prove their worth in the subcontinentThe Kiwi spinners often face challenges at home as the New Zealand pitches are more pacefriendly Following the matter Ajaz Patel said If you ask all New Zealand spinners it is difficultSometimes obviously you dont get as many opportunities at home because of our home conditions Ajaz Patel told reporters here on Friday ahead of New Zealands oneoff Test against Afghanistan which begins from September 9But it breeds more hunger when you do come to conditions like this and you know conditions that are spinfriendly and youre quite hungry to get out there and play and put your best foot forward and perform But its really important that you do prepare accordingly and prepare well he addedThe Mumbaiborn cricketer earlier claimed all the 10 wickets against India in the first innings of the Mumbai Test match back in 2021 With this Ajaz Patel became only the third player to achieve the rare feat after Jim Laker and Anil KumbleAlso ReadIN PHOTOS T20Is Fastest centuries for AustraliaSince then Ajaz Patel has featured in only five Test matches out of which four were in the subcontinent Further he stated that he understands the reason behind fewer opportunitiesWere in a professional environment and for us its really important to just go out there and continue to work on our game and keep improving and keep growing After the 10 wickets obviously youre a little bit disappointed that you dont get as many opportunities but at the same time as a player its still about growing your game and its opportunities to develop and grow Since my 10 wickets Ive kind of remodeled my runup and look to grow myself and try and get better So its always about improving and its always about making sure that youre ready whenever that next opportunity comes and putting your hand upAhead of New Zealands long Test schedule Ajaz Patel is excited that he has a great opportunity to feature in six longestformat games The Black Caps will lock horns with Afghanistan for one Test Sri Lanka for two and Team India for three Test matchesIt always depends on conditions and I guess it depends on form and you know making sure you play well so you dont take it lightlyBut it is a great opportunity with so many games in Asia to then kind of have those opportunities as a spinner So its something that Im looking forward to and pretty excited he added The oneoff game will be the first time Afghanistan and New Zealand face each other in Tests It is also the first time Patel has returned to India after his 10wicket haulIts always special to come back to India especially after my last game here Its a different challenge now different surface place opposition So its just about looking at whats in front of us and then assessing what the wickets doing and how its going to play he saidAfghanistan have improved leaps and bounds in the whiteball formats but have little experience playing TestsAfghanistan are a quality outfit and obviously they dont have as much experience but theyll certainly put up a good fight So were definitely not going to take them lightly he addedWith PTI Inputs