The man on the comeback trail, Parthiv Patel, credited his teammates for creating a warm environment for him on his comeback. Skipper Virat Kohli heaped praise on Patel after he played a brilliant knock against the England seamers in the second innings and scored 67.
The knock came on the back of a well made 42 in the first innings and the Indian captain gave a hint that Patel could be in the team as a batsman when Wriddhiman Saha returns.
“It was because of the kind of welcome and vibes I got in the dressing room, which was really important. Coming after eight years and wearing India whites, you are a bit nervous before the start of the Test match or while you are preparing for that moment to play for India. The guys welcomed me and it never felt like I was coming back to the dressing room after a huge gap,” Parthiv told BCCI.TV.
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The Gujarat wicketkeeper-batsman returned to the Indian dressing room after eight long years and credited Kohli and company for making him feel wanted, “Playing for your country is the biggest honour and making a comeback is even harder. He along with other teammates made me comfortable as and it was pleasing to get runs for the team.”
Though he played a good knock in the first innings, it was in the second innings that the Gujarat batsman came into his own, while chasing a low score. He felt that in such chases it was important to show intent as he did.
Patel has a lot of experience in first-class cricket and was in fine nick when the call-up came. Despite the eight year break, the wicketkeeper-batsman said that he was always ready for a call-up to the national side. When the opportunity came knocking, he was ready to take his good domestic form to international cricket.
He was also happy about his batting and said, “It is the kind of energy you need to take while you are batting. The most important part is to get runs in the game and if you are getting them, you release a lot of pressure off yourself and from the partner who is batting with you at the other end."
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He was, however, aware that his keeping is not up to high standards and promised to get better as he plays more Tests.
Patel opened in Mohali with Murali Vijay after Lokesh Rahul was ruled out of the series due to injury. With Saha set to return in Mumbai, it remains to be seen if Parthiv Patel will keep his place as an opener.
India have Cheteshwar Pujara, who has opened in the past in such situations, but given Patel's spectacular comeback, he may get a longer stint at the top of the order.
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