The Rediff Cricket Interview/Parthiv Patel
'I call myself a wicketkeeper-batsman'
Parthiv Patel is the latest teenage sensation of Indian cricket. Not since Sachin Tendulkar has any young Indian cricketer shown so much promise. The young lad from Gujarat, who has been in the limelight for the last couple of years following consistently good performances behind and in front of the wickets, leapfrogged over several senior wicketkeepers, including Nayan Mongia, Deep Dasgupta, Sameer Dighe and Vijay Dahiya, and broke into the Indian team for the ongoing Test series in England.
Considering that he is only 17 and has not played a single Ranji Trophy match, it is quite an achievement.
The bespectacled southpaw from Ahmedabad led India successfully in the Under-17 Asia Cup in Bangladesh in 2000-2001. He also captained India in the Under-19 World Cup in New Zealand in 2001-2002, and guided it to the semi-final. His leadership, as also his fine contribution with the gloves and bat, came in for high praise. His reward was a berth in the India A team which toured Sri Lanka and South Africa recently. Despite the presence of some Test and ODI players in the team, he held his own and was one of the few players whom coach Yashpal Sharma chose for special mention.
"Outstanding," was how Sharma described Parthiv’s performance.
Haresh Pandya spoke to the wicketkeeper shortly before he left for England.
You have achieved so much at such a young age. To what do you ascribe all this?
To my cricketing talents and my ability to perform consistently well. Plus the element of luck, of course. You may be talented but if you don’t have luck, you may find it hard to make decent progress and reach your goals.
What were your goals? What are your future ambitions?
I didn’t have too many goals. My only aim was to play for India. I have already represented the country at the junior level and also played for India A. Now that I am selected in the senior national team, I think I am about to fulfill my long-cherished dream. What more can a cricketer of my age ask for? Of course, I look forward to making my Test debut and serving the country for years to come.
How did you react to the news of your inclusion in the England-bound Test squad?
I was delighted but not surprised, as I had been expecting it after my reasonably good showing for the country in Bangladesh, New Zealand, Sri Lanka and South Africa. I think, rather than my age, the selectors have taken into account my potential and my performance behind and in front of the wicket.
Did you receive any congratulatory call from Nayan Mongia who was hoping to make the England tour?
No. But Deep Dasgupta, who I think I have replaced, was one of the first persons to ring me up. I thought it was a good feeling and a nice gesture from him.
You are actually selected as an understudy to Ajay Ratra, who had a successful tour of the West Indies. You might not get to play a single Test on the England jaunt in the event of Ratra maintaining his good form. Have you ever given any thought to this?
This question has been asked by other journalists, too. Let me repeat what I’ve told them: I am neither unnecessarily anxious nor in a hurry to play Test cricket. I have a big factor of age on my side. I’ll be quite happy playing first-class matches on the England tour, which I look upon as a good learning experience.
Having played in different climates and on different pitches in Bangladesh, New Zealand, Sri Lanka and South Africa, how prepared are you, mentally and physically, to face the challenges in England, which is famous for its unpredictable weather and slower, seaming wickets?
I don’t think that should be a problem. Conditions in New Zealand, too, were more or less the same. In the final analysis, however, it boils down to a little adjustment here and there, technically and temperamentally. There are many experienced players in the Indian team. They have a rich experience of playing in England. So there will be plenty of help and guidance coming from them whenever needed.
How was the experience of undergoing special training at the famed Commonwealth Bank Academy in Adelaide, under the Allan Border-Sunil Gavaskar scholarship?
It was great. I think it was just reward for my consistently good performances with the junior Indian teams. It was a rewarding stint, because I got to learn vital things about wicket keeping and batting from, among others, Rod Marsh and Wayne Phillips and Ian Chappell.
Your maturity belies your age. You look pretty quiet and serious for one so young. Don't media and public adulation excite you?
I do. But I have gradually learned how to keep a level head. My elders have repeatedly told me that success, publicity and popularity, howsoever big, shouldn’t go to one’s head. I know it doesn’t take much to fall from the top if you tend to get carried away. I for one can’t even think of behaving in an arrogant or conceited manner. No way. I have miles to go, so much to learn, so much to prove.
What is your family background?
I hail from a middle-class Gujarati family. My father Ajaybhai is a businessman and my mother Nishaben is a housewife. I have no brother and only one sister, Kinjal, who is elder to me.
When did you start playing cricket and when did you begin to seriously believe that you could develop into a top player?
I think I was hardly eight or nine when I began playing cricket. I was always serious about my cricket, although it was only after I started getting opportunities in the BCCI junior tournaments on the strength of my talent and the resultant performance that I felt I, too, could become a good player.
Who have been your coaches and what did you learn from them?
I have had several coaches, including Vijay Patel, Hitesh 'Pochi' Patel, Ashok Saheba, Anil Patel, Yogendra Puri, Shailesh Pandya, Niketan Walera, Narendra Sharma and Raju Bhatt, and I learnt many important things about technique and temperament from them. But I must say the man who has the biggest and the most persistent influence on my development as a cricketer is my uncle Jagat Patel. I think but for his interest in me and his help and encouragement, I wouln’t have progressed thus far. He has sacrificed so much for me.
Why did you choose to become a wicketkeeper?
I was basically a batsman. When I was 10, I joined a cricket coaching camp in Ahmedabad during my school holidays. But I kept going there even after my vacation was over. Once I kept wickets in the nets without wearing the gloves. I enjoyed it. The next day I put on gloves, kept wickets for a pretty long time and won the coach's praise. I've been a wicketkeeper since then, with batting being my plus point.
You have proved your ability with the bat. You are very consistent and have scored runs in trying circumstances. Do you call yourself a wicketkeeper who has to make substantial contributions with bat? Or a batsman who has also to keep wickets?
I call myself a wicketkeeper-batsman. It is for critics like you to judge whether I am a good enough batsman or not. But if I had not been a good wicketkeeper, I doubt if I would have got to represent the country in junior and other events, or been able to earn the berth in the England-bound team. So wicketkeeping is my prime function.
Who has been your role model? Which stumpers have impressed you?
Though I have highly admired the likes of Ian Healy and Nayan Mongia, Adam Gilchrist is my hero, both as a wicketkeeper and as a batsman. I just love the way he keeps and bats. Of course, I’ve never tried to imitate anybody; not even Gilchrist.
What do you think is your forte as a wicketkeeper?
I think I have a safe pair of hands although it is too early to talk about my forte or strength. I know there is plenty of scope for improvement in my work behind the stumps, which I hope to be able to do with more experience and exposure.
Could you say something about your batting?
I always like to play my natural game. I am basically an attacking batsman and I always prefer to go for shots if the ball is worth hitting. Having said that, I should hasten to add that I can also play defensively if the situation so demands. I am not choosy about any particular batting position. I have opened the innings and also batted in the middle and down the order.
What about your academic career? How serious are you towards your studies?
My teachers say I am not an average student! I study in Class XII in an Ahmedabad school. I couldn’t take my exams because of my tight cricket schedule and the recent riots in Gujarat. Now that I' hae decided to make a name for myself in cricket and also the fact that I have begun getting good opportunities, I am not unduly worried about my studies. But, if possible, I do want to complete my graduation in commerce.
What are your other hobbies and interests?
I love to see Hindi films and listen to slow, soft music. I enjoy watching good programmes on television. I like to read any sort of general stuff and keep myself abreast with what happens in the world. I relish spicy Gujarati food.
Do you have a girlfriend?
Girlfriend? Me? No way! You must be kidding. I am too young for that. I don't have time for such things. The only thing I want to think about and concentrate on is cricket. Nothing can digress me from that.
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