Pune: Veteran wicket-keeper batsman Parthiv Patel, who last played for India in the Test series against South Africa, feels that it is a good time for “keepers in the country.” Patel was came in as Wriddhiman Saha’s replacement after the first Test and played the second and third Test matches against the Proteas in January.
“On the contrary, I feel this is a great phase for wicketkeepers. There was a time when wicketkeepers were dropped and changed every now and then, but now we have two-three players who are in contention for the job. It is good to have competition for Indian cricket,” he said, at a promotional event organised by the Royal Challengers Bangalore on Sunday.
Former Indian wicket-keeper Syed Kirmani on Saturday, had said that Patel wasn’t groomed well after he had made his debut at 17 years of age. But the Gujarat-born cricketer chose not to comment on it.
“At this point of my career, I don’t think I should be reacting to anything said about me. I have a lot of respect for Kirmani sir and have learnt a lot of skills from him. Like others, he is entitled to an opinion, but I don’t want to react to anything, be it good or bad, at this point of time. May be after some years when I hang my boots, I will only react to things said about me, but not now,” Patel said.
The diminutive wicket-keeper batsman, who would take the field for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the upcoming edition of the IPL said that settling down in a new franchise isn’t too difficult for him.
“I am probably the most travelled player in terms of changing teams in the IPL. I have been to new teams and have been through the settling-down phases earlier too. I have played for RCB for one year and it is a great team to be a part of and with a captain like Virat, I think we will have a good season ahead,” said Parthiv.