Parthiv Patel on his ‘burning desire’ to play for India again
Parthiv Patel, recalled into the Test side after a gap of eight years for the upcoming third Test against England in Mohali following an injury to wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha, has said he was not surprised at the call up and would “try to live in this moment” without setting any targets.
“A couple of days ago, I had been sounded out about it and asked to be prepared mentally. Obviously you feel for Wriddhiman (Saha) but you can’t do anything about injuries. But when the call actually came last night, the immediate reaction was I was quite excited and happy to be part of the Test team again after eight years,” Patel told The Hindu.
“(I knew my chances were coming) since it was going to be a long season with 12-13 Test matches in home conditions and I was always amongst the runs and keeping well in domestic cricket. Though I was not in India A, I always kept speaking to the selectors and they kept saying, 'keep doing what you are doing'. The biggest hope came when I went to Asia Cup as a keeper as MS Dhoni's cover. So, I knew I had to be ready. I was working hard, so this is definitely not a surprise call," he was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz website.
The 31-year-old Gujarat wicketkeeper’s last Test appearance was against Sri Lanka in Colombo in 2008 after making his Test debut as a 17-year-old six years earlier.
"I haven't entered the dressing room yet, I won't be able to tell you what changes have come. What I have heard is that, it is an extremely exciting lot; everybody is keen to do things and trying to get Indian cricket to a different level. It will be great to join a lot of players who were with me in India A and who have played under me.
"I have kept my mindset up to date as far as fitness is concerned. I was training under Basu sir, who is the trainer of Indian team currently. So I'm up with whatever training programs have been going on, and even my performance in that aspect was up to date. So, it won't be able alien condition for me when I enter the Indian dressing room.
“Basically, I had the advantage of making my debut early but the motivation and the burning desire to play for India again was very high. That’s how I kept myself fit to play Test cricket again. And when you play IPL, you get to face the best bowlers in the world. Scoring against them also gives you the belief that you do belong there; you are very much part of the scheme of playing for India again.”
He is, however, not setting any targets.
“I am just happy to be back
“I have never left a Ranji match mid-way. It’s happened a couple of times that I have joined Gujarat for a
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