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MUMBAI, Oct 30, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - New Zealand spinner Ajaz Patel said 
Wednesday that returning to his birthplace Mumbai after his 10-wicket haul 
there three years ago made for an "emotional" homecoming ahead of the third 
Test against India.

The Black Caps sealed a first-ever Test series victory on Indian soil last 
week in Pune and are now chasing a 3-0 sweep in the final match starting 
Friday at Wankhede Stadium.

In December 2021 at the same venue, Ajaz became only the third bowler in Test 
history to take all 10 wickets in an innings.

New Zealand lost the match but Ajaz joined elite company alongside England 
off-spinner Jim Laker (1956 at Old Trafford) and Indian spin ace Anil Kumble 
(1999 in Delhi).

"Certainly emotional," Ajaz, 36, told reporters.

"I guess being back in Mumbai is always quite special and it's a place I call 
home as well. Having the opportunity to play out here again is quite 
special."

He added: "To be honest, after my 10-wicket haul I wasn't sure whether I'd 
get another opportunity to play out here again."

New Zealand beat India at their own game of spin for a 113-run victory in the 
second Test on a turning Pune pitch.

Ajaz's fellow left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner excelled with a match haul of 
13 wickets as top Indian batters including skipper Rohit Sharma and Virat 
Kohli flopped.

But Ajaz, who made his Test debut in 2018 after moving to Auckland from 
Mumbai with his parents, said India still remain the favourites.

"I think India still have the wood on us when it comes to playing on turning 
wickets and traditionally the Indian batters have I guess done well on 
turning surfaces," said Ajaz.

"Obviously they haven't had maybe as much success as they would have liked in 
this series so far, but they're certainly an opposition that are very, very 
skilled and not the easiest to come up against."

India assistant coach Abhishek Nayar said the home team's knowledge of the 
surface will help them counter New Zealand at Wankhede.

"We have to give a lot of credit to New Zealand, the way they have played and 
the way they have countered spin," he said.

"A lot of the guys have played a lot of local cricket here and the 
understanding of what these conditions are and how the pitch is going to pan 
out."