The pivotal moment of the Blackcaps' bounce-back win in the third Twenty20 international against Bangladesh came during spinner Ajaz Patel's second over.
Defending a score of 128 - a relatively competitive total on the demanding Dhaka wicket - Patel snared the crucial wickets of dangermen Mahedi Hasan and Shakib Al Hasan in the space of just three balls to put his team immediately ahead of the contest.
"For me, it was trying to get a read for the player," Patel reflected, as he accepted his Player of the Match award. "I knew Mahedi was going to try and take me on, so I tried to tighten him up, bowl a little bit quicker and flatter, and try to squeeze one through him.
"Obviously, Shakib, we know how dangerous a player he is, so it was about trying to make sure I take some pace away from him."
The hosts never recovered from the loss of their talismen, chasing the game throughout and eventually falling comfortably short of their target to hand the Blackcaps a series-salvaging 52-run win.
Patel finished with career-best T20 figures of 4/16 from his four overs, as he continued to capitalise on the tailor-made conditions on the subcontinent.
Newcomers and fellow spin bowlers Cole McConchie (3/15) and Rachin Ravindra (1/13) also took advantage of the turning pitch.
"As a spinner, you thrive on conditions like this, and you have to take a bit of responsibility in these conditions to try and make sure you can do something for your team," he adds.
"It was nice to get a few [wickets] up top and I thought all our bowlers bowled brilliantly. I thought we bowled really well as a collective and our spinners did a great job.
"It's always great to have other spinners alongside you and both of them bowled brilliantly tonight."
Patel said his focus heading into the match had been variation, both with his deliveries and his use of the crease, adjusting during the match to find the optimal approach.
"Over here, we've realised it differs quite considerably from day to day," he noted. "It's about figuring out what the pace for the surface is and what's the most dangerous ball.
"For me, t was really about trying to get over the top of the ball today, make sure I bowl the ball into the wicket and make sure I spin the ball hard.
"As a finger spinner, you know that you are limited in terms of how many ways you can turn the ball, but you can definitely use the crease, and changes in pace and variations that way to kind of make a difference."
The underdog Blackcaps can send the series to a deciding game with victory in the fourth match at Dhaka on Wednesday, which would be a remarkable achievement, given the absence of their first-choice players from the squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup.
"It's great that the series is still alive," says Patel. "We really feel like, if we fight and scrap well, we've got a good chance.
"It's just making sure we turn up next game and put our best foot forward again, and make sure we're ready for a fight."
Join us from 10pm, Wednesday for live updates of the fourth T20 between the Blackcaps and Bangladesh
