4 prodigies of Indian cricket who could not make a big name for themselves

Parthiv Patel

Parthiv Patel

Parthiv Patel made his Test debut in 2002 at Nottingham and showed some dogged resilience, which allowed India to save the Test match. He added 28 runs in partnership with Zaheer Khan for the ninth wicket and faced 12 overs of gruesome pace and swing bowling by the Englishmen. As he walked down the pavilion, he got a little pat on the back by Nasser Hussain, who captained England in that series.

However a series of below par scores against West Indies and New Zealand at home and in away series against Australia and New Zealand was enough to raise doubts on his batting technique. An average performance behind the stumps didn’t helped his cause. It was the time when India was looking for a reliable wicket-keeper. In ODIs, the team was reliant on Rahul Dravid as the wicket-keeper.

The stage was set for Parthiv to emerge as the answer to the desperate calls of the national team. Unfortunately for him and fortunately for India, Dhoni made his debut towards the end of 2004. An impressive 148 against Pakistan in Faisalabad by Dhoni ensured a pause in Parthiv's career.

However, a string of scores in Ranji Trophy has ensured that the selectors still repose their faith on Parthiv as the second wicket-keeper in the squad for the Australian tour.