Mohali: India wicketkeeper-batsman Parthiv Patel may have gotten back to the Indian national team dressing room for the first time in eight years, but the wicketkeeper-batsman believes that the squad made him feel completely at home.
"I was very nervous before the start of the Test. The kind of welcome I got from the dressing room, it never felt I was joining them after eight years,” said Patel. “That's the beauty of this team.”
Patel had scored 13 and 1, the last time he played Test cricket, in an eight-wicket loss to Sri Lanka, in Colombo. However, eight years from that day, the 31-year-old has staked a strong claim for his inclusion in the India squad. He gave India good starts in both the innings, scoring 42 and 67 (not out), as the hosts beat England by eight wickets in Mohali, to take a 2-0 lead in the five-match Test series.
Patel, who got back into the side on the back of good Ranji performances, says that playing aggressive cricket helped get him back into the side.
“Playing aggressively suits my game. The intent was very important, and I backed myself,” he said.
Wicketkeeping in the international level, on a spin-friendly pitch is not an easy thing. The 31-year-old felt the change, as he took his stance behind the wickets, while Ravichandran Ashwin was bowling. Patel conceded that Ashwin even managed to deceive him with his spin, bounce, and change of pace.
“Ashwin was brilliant. The way he varied his pace was brilliant,” said Parthiv Patel. “He deceived even me."
