Kolkata: He may be short in stature, but there is no dearth of confidence and aggression in this 31-year-old wicket-keeper and batsman who is probably in the form of his life. Parthiv Patel celebrated his comeback into the Indian Test team with some good scores raising question marks over regular keeper Wriddhiman Saha’s place in the side. And now, the Gujarat captain has played a skipper’s knock to help his team win the Ranji Trophy for the first time ever. Yes, it wouldn’t be wrong to say that there’s no stopping Parthiv Patel.
To talk of statistics, Gujarat guided by its captain’s 143 chased down a target of 312 against Mumbai in the finals at Indore on Saturday. Gujarat ended up with 313 for 5 beating Mumbai by five wickets. No other team in the history of the country’s premier tournament has chased such a huge total in the past. A responsible innings as a captain and solid showing behind the stumps, Patel has once again silenced his critics many of whom were on the verge of writing his career obituary.
Hats off to this guy who despite being overshadowed by the presence of MS Dhoni, shows no signs of giving up. It’s been a memorable season for the Gujarat skipper who has been in splendid form in the domestic circuit that earned him a place in the Indian Test team against England when Saha was ruled out due to injury. And Patel grabbed the chance with impressive scores of 42, 67 Not Out and 71.
Back to business for his state side after his duties for the country, Patel has been an epitome of consistency with two half-centuries and one hundred for his team. He scored 12 and 40 against Odisha in the quarter-final and followed that up with 62 and 1 in the semis against Jharkhand before match-winning scores of 90 and 143 in the all-important final at Indore. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call him the Man of the moment.
Now, considering Patel’s form, it would be impossible to leave him out of contention in the forthcoming Tests matches against Bangladesh and Australia. Patel beyond doubt, has made the job of the selectors and the team management (Captain Virat Kohli and coach Anil Kumble) difficult. Not only is Patel in sublime form with the bat, he also provided stability behind the stumps.
Going by Patel’s golden run, he is definitely assured of a place in the Indian squad. Knowing Kohli’s admiration for Saha, in all probabilities subject to his fitness, he will don the gloves behind the stumps against Bangladesh, but it would be tough to leave Patel out of the XI. If not as a wicket-keeper, Patel certainly deserves a place in the team as a batsman. With triple century holder Karun Nair around and Ajinkya Rahane on a comeback mission, it would be interesting to note how Kohli and Kumble accommodate Patel in the team.
If we look at the limited-overs format too, if Patel can maintain his consistency, then he will stake a claim in the team in the future though, Dhoni’s presence would be an obstacle for him. But Patel wields the willow with perfection and also scores at a fast rate, which means, he will make himself a strong contender for a place in the ODI and T20 sides as well in the days to come. He has the Irani Trophy, the domestic T20 tournament and the Indian Premier League (IPL) to show his talent in.
But Patel for sure, wouldn’t like to let these thoughts haunt him at this point of time and would rather focus on his game. Meanwhile, he has entered the history books by captaining a Ranji Trophy winning Gujarat side. It’s time to celebrate the moment and look at future with utmost confidence.
Well done Patel and congratulations on your grand comeback!