When Parthiv Patel was selected in place of injured Wridhiman Saha for the Mohali test, there were a lot of mixed reaction about his selection, considering the 31-year-old’s name hasn’t been in the test arena for more than 8 years. However, the gusty batsman proved the world wrong and made a strong comeback by scoring 42 and 67 in both the innings respectively.
In the recent interview to BCCI.tv, the euphoric Patel said that his inside-out shot off Gareth Batty’s bowling to bring up the eight-wicket win for the team stands out as the most cherished moment as he hadn’t got the chance to finish off matches in the past. “It was a great moment for me. I have been a part of the test matches before, but I had never hit the winning runs.
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As a batsman, it’s great to finish off the game. To get the winning runs after making a comeback is a proud moment for me” said Patel.
Also read: Why Parthiv Patel should replace Saha in the long-run
Indeed it was a great moment, however, in addition to that, the cherubic wicket-keeper had some of the best moments ever since he came into the international scene in 2002. But with MS Dhoni setting a huge benchmark in batting and wicketkeeping for more than a decade, the fans always brushed the past moments of Parthiv Patel aside. Let’s go back and relive some of his best moments.
#5. Youngest Wicketkeeper to make a debut in test history
During India’s second test against England at Trent Bridge in 2002, Parthiv Patel made his test debut at the age of 17 to become the youngest wicketkeeper to make a debut in test history. Prior to this match, the diminutive player had not played any first-class cricket, and eyebrows were raised about his selection when he got out for a duck in his first innings.
However, he proved the doubters wrong in the second innings by producing a resilient batting performance.
When England posted a huge first innings total of 617 runs, the Indian batsmen were desperate to save the test. Although the contributions from the trio of Dravid, Tendulkar and Ganguly made the game virtually safe, it still required an unbeaten 19 from 60 balls from Parthiv Patel to save the test match. His 84 minutes on the pitch not only saved India but also ended England’s hopes of winning four consecutive tests for the first time since 1991-92.
#4. 95 against England in tough conditions
After a disastrous test series against England in 2011, the men in blue started their ODI campaign at Chester-le-street. Parthiv Patel opened the innings with the debutant Ajinkya Rahane and straightaway the English bowlers went eyeball to eyeball with him. They banged the ball short, just like the way they troubled India in tests. However, the gusty batsmen used England's aggressive tactics to his advantage and showcased the range of shots that included his trademark pulls and cuts.
Although he fell five runs short of what would have been an extraordinary century, his contribution was vital for India to post a stiff total of 274 runs.
When everyone felt that the fighting total was enough for India to get their first victory on the tour, rain interrupted in the middle of England’s batting (when they were 27-2 in 7.2 overs) and due to continued showers, the match was called off eventually.
#3. Patel’s maiden list A century helped Gujarat to win the first Vijay Hazare trophy
There is no denying that Parthiv Patel hasn't had enough success in the limited overs arena. His inability to play longer innings at the top of the order has been one of the reasons why he was consistently overlooked by the selectors.
However, in the crunch Vijay Hazare trophy final, he looked determined to play the longer innings. His plucky 105 from 119 balls in a green Chinnaswamy track helped Gujarat to hammer former Champions Delhi by 139 runs and secure their first title. This century was the icing on the cake as he had gone 148 List A matches without a hundred in prior to this game.
#2. First Indian to score five consecutive hundreds in the first class history
After Australia won the Test series against India in 2004, Parthiv Patel was axed from the Indian team for his shoddy glove-work. Despite not being a very good wicket-keeper in his earlier days, Patel had always worked hard to be a promising batsman for his side . In 2007, he was the centre of attention in the domestic circuit, as he became the first batsmen to score five consecutive hundreds in the first class history. Out of these five, his fifth hundred against Mumbai to bail Rest of India was considered as one of the best innings in the domestic arena.
After watching his exceptional innings at Rajkot, the former Indian selector, VB Chandrasekhar, had commented that Patel has all qualities to play as a specialist batsman in the Indian side if the team management doesn't trust his Wicket-keeping abilities.
Although Patel scored a lot of runs in the domestic circuit, Dinesh Karthik was preferred as the second wicketkeeper behind MS Dhoni in that period.
#1. Scored a vital 69 in India’s first overseas win
In the Golden Jubilee test match against Pakistan at Rawalpindi in 2004, Parthiv Patel was asked to open the innings along with Virender Sehwag. Shoaib Akhtar got the Delhi batsmen in the first ball, however, Patel weathered a storm by forming a reasonable partnership with Rahul Dravid.
When the left-hander was asked to open for the first time against New Zealand in 2002, he fell for a duck, however, his relentless innings of 69 in the decisive match proved to be very crucial for India to suck Pakistan's early momentum.
2004 turned out to be a very good year for Parthiv Patel as he scored three half-centuries including his career-best score of 69 at Rawalpindi.
In many interviews in the past, Patel had said that this rescue innings and victory against Pakistan has always been closest to his heart, as it gave India a historic series win, and, most importantly, their first overseas win in more than a decade.
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