IPL 2018 | Parthiv Patel eager to play under Virat Kohli for RCB
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Parthiv Patel has expressed his excitement to play under Virat Kohli’s captaincy in the upcoming Indian Premier League, stating that Kohli brings a lot of positivity to the team. Patel has also revealed that the dressing room talks during the Test series against SA were always about winning.
Parthiv, who has won two IPL titles with Mumbai Indians franchise in 2015 and 2017, will represent Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the upcoming edition of IPL after the franchise shelled out INR 1.7crore for the 32-year-old. And the Indian wicketkeeper-batsman seemed excited to play under the guidance of Kohli.
"Virat brings a huge amount of positivity into the team and to the dressing-room. He always leads by example and the team rallies around him," Parthiv told TOI.
The Gujarat player was selected as the backup wicket-keeper to the squad during the Test series against South Africa. And he got his chance to play when Wriddhiman Saha suffered a hamstring injury following India's 72-run loss in the Cape Town. However, he failed to grab that opportunity with his bat as he could manage only 56 runs in the entire series although doing decently from behind the stumps, where he took ten catches.
The Indian player claimed that he tried to fight hard in both his roles on the tough conditions of South Africa. He also disclosed that the chances he missed were very difficult and he received support from the team management during the five-dayer matches.
"I thought I kept well on that difficult wicket in the third Test at Johannesburg where the ball was keeping up and down. I also showed a lot of character by opening the innings (in the second essay) and tried to contribute as much as I could both as a batsman and keeper," Parthiv said.
"If you watch those attempts, they were not easy ones. It was a 50-50 chance and as long as you are putting in your full effort into it and staying committed - no one says anything. That was the feedback I got from the team."
Despite the low fighting spirit from the Indian batsmen, the team’s chances in the games were similar to their South African counterparts. But, in the first two games, the Proteas were slightly better that resulted in them winning the series early on. After losing the first two games, however, the Indian team returned to winning ways to avoid a whitewash in Johannesburg, where India saw off South Africa by 63 runs.
"The result might not have gone in our favour but I thought we played really well. During every session, the talk in the middle and in the dressing-room was about winning. There was a lot of positive intent which kept the boys on top of their game," Parthiv said.
After MS Dhoni decided to take retirement from the longest format of the game, Saha became the prime wicket-keeper for the side. However, Parthiv claimed that he is ready to perform in every little opportunity that he gets and has been looking forward to being a part of the squad during India's next assignment in England.
"As I have said this before, the selection is not in my hands at all. Each time I have played for India, I have looked to give my 100%. I am looking to always improve my game and fitness levels and show consistency in performances," he said.
