"Ajaz Patel on fire" - Twitter in awe of spinner as he gets Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli for ducks
Ajaz Patel wreaked havoc after a good opening partnership between Mayank Agarwal and Shubman Gill as India went into tea at 111/3 on Day 1 of the second Test between India and New Zealand at the Wankhede Stadium.
Mayank and Gill put on 80 runs for the first wicket before Ajaz Patel had the latter caught at slip for 44. Gill survived a missed stumping just the previous delivery, but edged one behind as the New Zealand spinner found grip and turn on a challenging pitch.
Pujara was then bowled off his pads by Ajaz for a five-ball duck, and the left-arm spinner followed it up with the big wicket of Virat Kohli, also for a duck, in the same over.
There was controversy over Kohli's dismissal, who immediately reviewed the LBW call. He seemed to have got an inside edge, but the third umpire deemed that the replays were inconclusive about whether the ball hit the bat first, or the pad.
India lost three quick wickets, with no runs added to the board, but Mayank and Shreyas Iyer then quickly put on 31 runs to win some momentum back for India.
Mayank reached his fifth Test half-century just on the stroke of tea.
The match began late today due to a wet outfield, with only two sessions scheduled for the day. India won the toss and opted to bat.
India vs New Zealand: Ajaz Patel, Mayank Agarwal draw praise
Ajaz Patel and Mayank Agarwal were the two standout performers in the first session and there was plenty of praise for them on social media.
Agarwal was batting on 52 at tea, while Ajaz Patel took three wickets at an economy rate of just 2.00.
Here are some of the top reactions:
Ajaz Patel鈥檚 played havoc post lunch picking up 3 wickets in a cluster including Pujara and Kohli for ducks! Sensational twist to the match
What? Pujara, Kohli both gone for a duck! 馃槫
Ajaz Patel is on 馃敟
#IndvsNZtest
Ajaz Patel's bowling is a nice example of what the absence of tour matches has done to the Test tour. He would have had the chance to settle down and hit his length in a tour match, instead of the 1st Test if he'd toured in an earlier generation.
Indian cricket fans to Ajaz Patel #INDvNZ https://t.co/hDX8D1E31L
Brilliant fifty by Mayank Agarwal, he's batted wonderfully. Under the shadows of getting dropped, he emerges and scores a tremendous fifty.
Played Mayank. Very good inns. Make it a big one please!
Today's play is scheduled to go on till 5:30 pm to make up for the lost time earlier in the day.
The match is a series decider, with the first Test in Kanpur ending in a draw.