Parthiv Patel announces retirement from all forms of cricket, indebted to Sourav Ganguly

Parthiv Patel, who made his debut at the age of 17 for the Indian cricket team during their tour of England in 2002, has announced his retirement from all forms of cricket. The decision brings an end to his 18-year cricketing journey which saw him scale the peaks of Indian cricket team’s success in Australia and Pakistan while it also saw his career being overshadowed by the emergence of MS Dhoni from the period of 2005 all the way until 2020. Parthiv Patel was also part of several franchises for the IPL from Chennai Super Kings to Royal Challengers Bangalore. Parthiv Patel took to his official Twitter handle and made the announcement with a ‘heavy gratitude towards many’. Parthiv Patel did not feature in any games for Royal Challengers Bangalore in IPL 2020.

On his Twitter account, Parthiv Patel wrote, "Today, I announce my retirement from all forms of cricket as I bring the curtains down on this 18-year cricketing journey. I feel heavier with gratitude towards many. The BCCI showed a generous amount of confidence and faith in a 17-year-old boy to play for India. I am thankful to all the captains I have played under but I am especially indebted to Dada (Sourav Ganguly), who showed immense faith in me."

Parthiv Patel also thanked the Gujarat Cricket Association, his father and uncle as well as the IPL franchises for backing him in a career that has spanned close to two decades.

pic.twitter.com/QbqdHX00dR

— parthiv patel (@parthiv9) December 9, 2020

Jay Shah, the BCCI secretary, hailed his efforts in the 2016/17 season which saw Gujarat lift the Ranji Trophy. "Parthiv Patel has always played his cricket with passion. While he played some hard-fought cricket for the Indian team, his contribution in domestic cricket shall inspire future cricketers. It was a tremendous feat to lead Gujarat to a maiden Ranji Trophy triumph in the 2016-17 season, a testimony to his astute leadership qualities. BCCI congratulates Parthiv on a successful journey and for his contribution to Indian Cricket," Jay Shah said. 

Sourav Ganguly, the current BCCI president under whom Parthiv Patel flourished and had a stellar India career, said the left-handed wicketkeeper-batsman was the true team man. "Parthiv has been a brilliant ambassador for Indian cricket. He has always been a team man and it was a pleasure to Captain him when he made his international debut at the age of seventeen. His hard work has earned him laurels in international and domestic cricket. I congratulate him on a fantastic career and wish him the very best for his future endeavours. His performance in the Ranji Trophy final to win Gujarat their only title will always be remembered in the history of Gujarat cricket," Parthiv Patel said.

Youngster to solid bat

Parthiv Patel made his debut in the 2002 Test in Trent Bridge against England. Parthiv Patel impressed with his keeping and was solid behind the stumps. With the bat, he displayed some calmness and his first fifty came against Australia in the 2004 Test in Sydney. However, his memorable effort with the bat came in the Rawalpindi Test against Pakistan in 2004 in which he smashed 69 and shared a valuable partnership with Rahul Dravid after Virender Sehwag was dismissed first ball by Shoaib Akhtar.

However, his keeping and his place in the Indian cricket team was overshadowed by the emergence of MS Dhoni in 2005 and that made it difficult for Parthiv Patel to feature regularly in the team. After a couple of opening stints in ODIs which yielded moderate success, Parthiv struggled to consistently nail down his place in the Indian team and he featured in many IPL franchises, from Mumbai Indians, Chennai Super Kings, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Gujarat Lions.