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'Everyone Is Scared': Ajaz Patel On How Rishabh Pant Brought Fear In NZ Camp With His Batting

Rajgeeta Yadav

Ajaz Patel reflects on Rishabh Pant's presence on field [Source: @Tissa__vaasi/X.com and @AjazPatelNZ/X.com]Ajaz Patel reflects on Rishabh Pant's presence on field [Source: @Tissa__vaasi/X.com and @AjazPatelNZ/X.com]

New Zealand star spinner Ajaz Patel dominated the Indian side in their own backyard in the three-Test series. He made sure to make full use of the spinning friendly pitch to turn things in the Kiwis' favour in the third and final Test, where he scalped 11 wickets to dismantle Rohit Sharma's strong batting lineup.

Despite New Zealand whitewashed India 0-3 in a Test series for the first time, it was India's wicket-keeper batter Rishabh Pant who tried to take India over the line in the third Test match at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, where Blackcaps beat India by 25 runs.

The left-handed batter was the lone warrior who kept the hopes alive while chasing a tricky 147 runs to win the final Test. However, his controversial dismissal led India to face the rare series clean sweep after 24 years. Pant was at his best, and his valiant innings went in vain as he didn't get the appreciation he deserved from the cricketing world.

However, Ajaz Patel revealed that Kiwis were scared of Rishabh Pant in an interview with NDTV. When asked about Pant scoring fifty in Mumbai.

"When Rishabh Pant is in the crease, everyone is scared," he said.

The 36-year-old was also asked if the WhiteFerns planned to target certain Indian batters in the series. 

"We targeted Rishabh Pant the most in this series. He doesn't fear when in the middle. He plays his game, no matter what. His philosophy is till the time you are on the crease, you do what you want to, if you get out, no problem," Patel said.

The Indian-origin spinner has been in his best form against India on Indian soil, where he scalped 15 wickets in the three Test matches with a impressive economy rate of 4.63. New Zealand will now face England in the three-Test series set to commence on November 28, with the first Test to be held at Hagley Oval.