Parthiv Patel is an Indian cricketer, wicketkeeper-batsman, and a member of the Indian national cricket team. He is a left-handed batsman. He plays for Gujarat in domestic cricket.
The baby-faced Patel is a gutsy batsman who batted sturdily against the likes of Shoaib Akhtar and Brett Lee without breaking apart. However, it was his glove work that was under constant scrutiny and became the reason for his fall. He got lost in the competition and the emergence of MS Dhoni completely threw him out of contention for a spot in the Indian team in any format. However, he kept growning as a cricketer and has been the chief contributor for Gujarat and in the IPL.
Here are some interesting facts about Parthiv Patel :
1. Born on
Parthiv Ajay Patel was born on March 9, 1985 in the city of Ahmedabad, Gujarat.
2. Mistaken for a team mascot
Parthiv Patel once was mistaken as team mascot when he led his side onto the stage during the Wisden Indian Cricketer of the Century Awards in London in July 2002.
3. Young wicket-keeper in Test history
Parthiv Patel made his international debut in August 2002 against England in the second Test at Nottingham. He was called after Ajay Ratra got injured in the first Test and played the role of wicketkeeper-batsman. He was only 17 years 152 days old then and became the youngest wicketkeeper in Test history by breaking the previous record of Hanif Mohammad — who made his debut at 17 years 300 days.
4. Role model
Ever since he took up wicketkeeping, his role model has been none other than former Australian wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist.
5. 2003 Cricket World Cup
Parthiv was selected in the Indian squad for the 2003 Cricket World Cup but did not play any games, with Rahul Dravid being used as a makeshift wicket-keeper to allow the use of an extra batsman or bowler.
6. Sledged Steve Waugh
In the year 2004, when Parthiv was still quite new to the team, he tried to sledge Steve Waugh during the Border-Gavaskar series Down Under. But it backfired for him. It was the fourth Test of the series and Waugh’s last international match. On the fourth day of the match, Waugh entered the ground and started his innings. In between, young Parthiv chirped from behind the wickets by saying, “Come on Steve, just one more of your popular slog-sweeps before you quit.” In return, Waugh came up with a classy reply and answered him, “Show a bit of respect. You were in nappies when I debuted 18 years ago.” After the episode, Parthiv was questioned by his senior teammates for his unwanted sledging against one of the greatest captains the game has seen.
7. Five tons in a row
Parthiv Patel is the only Indian to score five centuries in five consecutive innings in first-class cricket history. He achieved this in 2007 between July and October. He scored 126, 124, 164, 110, 179 in consecutive innings.
8. MTV Bakra
Parthiv Patel was once trolled in the famous MYV show ‘Bakra’ hosted by famous VJ Cyrus Brocha. He is requested to drive his car after his driver fakes chest pain. As Parthiv takes to the driver seat, traffic policemen stop me and fine him for being under age.
He falls into the trap and pleads with the traffic policemen not to take him to the police station. The policemen then make Parthiv ask sorry and sign pages of autographs. The prank is finally busted and he gets into the car, yelling at the driver for lying.
9. Dropped
After being around for three years in the international circuit, Parthiv went out of favor and was dropped from the team for soppy glove work, losing his place to other emerging wicket keeper Dinesh Kartik.
10. Comeback
Parthiv returned to the Indian team in 2010 in the 4th and 5th ODI vs New Zealand. He celebrated this moment by hitting two back to back half centuries.
11. Back in contention
The retirement of MS Dhoni from Tests opened the door for him. He is seen as one of the top contenders for the place of wicket-keeper batsman once again. The reason behind his re-emergence is his recent performance for Gujarat.
He ended up as highest run-getter for Gujarat in the Syed Mushtaq Ali campaign. He was the second highest run-scorer for his team in the triumphant Vijay Hazare campaign.
Must Read : 25 Interesting Facts About MS Dhoni
12. Personal Life
Parthiv got married to his childhood friend Avni Zaveri on March 9, 2008. Avni Zaveri is an interior designer based in Ahmedabad. Together they have a daughter Venika.
13. Led Gujarat team to victory in Vijay Hazare Trophy 2015-16
In the 2015-16 edition of Vijay Hazare Trophy, Parthiv was the captain of Gujarat side. Under him, Gujarat reached final to play against Delhi. He was instrumental in winning the final match as he scored a brilliant century. Rujul Bhatt, Jasprit Bumrah, Axar Patel and RP Singh performed consistently and helped Parthiv lead the side to the title win.
13 Interesting Facts About Parthiv Patel
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