How justified is Parthiv Patel's Test call-up?

When a player gains his first international call-up almost four years after playing his last match, it is understandable that fans voiced their concern. They have said that he is not fit enough or pointed to arguably better alternatives, but when you look closely, not having a Test cap since August 2008 has made him the perfect choice for Saha's replacement.

The current Ranji season's top scorer Rishahb Pant might be playing a major role in Delhi's fortunes with 874 runs in 6 matches, but the 19-year old is just two seasons old. He sure is a great future prospect though. With 17 dismissals to his name in 8 innings and other contenders either injured or staying away from wicket-keeping, Parthiv is the safest pair of gloves in the domestic cricket right now.

When it comes to what Parthiv can offer to the Indian team with his batting, there are two major areas. Opening the innings has become a spot of bother for India over the past few months. While Murali Vijay has been good with the bat, Shikhar Dhawan's inconsistency in Tests and KL Rahul trying to find form after his recent hamstring injury will definitely bother Anil Kumble and Co. With Parthiv being a natural opener, there will be no need for Cheteshwar Pujara to play out of his natural No.3 position in case of an injury to the openers. Adding to that, being left-handed helps Parthiv's cause since the England bowlers will have to chalk down a new plan for the Indian openers. Equipped with the versatility to bat down the order, the Gujarat captain can fit into the Indian batting order without any trouble. 

Technically, Parthiv has overcome the weakness of the short ball, that tormented him in his early years, to develop a great hook shot which Rahul Dravid would be proud of. With more than a decade of experience playing in the domestic cricket, the Ahmedabad-born batsman has become more patient in the long format. He has scored 2,924 runs in the past five seasons with an average of 48.73 – that speaks volumes about the consistency he has achieved in his batting.