It has been a memorable season for Parthiv Patel. Leading Gujarat to their maiden Ranji Trophy title, making a comeback into the Indian Test team after eight years and playing a key role in Mumbai Indians’ third IPL title. The 32-year-old diminutive left-hander called it a “dream season”.

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Summing up the season, Patel said here on Monday: “Winning the Ranji Trophy is something every player dreams of. Especially playing for Gujarat, what we were 10-15 years back, and that was brilliant. It was always a dream for me to play one Test before I finished. I am glad I could make a Test comeback. Winning IPL is very special. It is a long tournament. You have to make sure the team stays together for a long time and Rohit (Sharma) and the coaching staff did fantastically well throughout the season to make sure that we all stayed together in the same medium.

“And, getting runs was important. Every time we had a good opening partnership, we always went to make big runs, especially if we start well in T20 format, it helps the bigger players like Rohit and (Kieron) Pollard to play freely. I am happy to finish as the highest run-getter for MI (395 runs) but most important was to win trophies. I am glad I am part of this set up.”

Patel, however, said that the India selection was not he focussed on. He may have missed the ODI call-up as Dinesh Karthik has been the chosen one for Champions Trophy as a replacement for the injured Manish Pandey. Patel was not in the stand-bys, either.

“Honestly, I don’t worry about selection anymore. I’ve been old enough hanging around for years. I don’t play cricket to get selected. I’ve been enjoying being at the peak of my game. I had a great year winning the Ranji Trophy, making a comeback into the Test side, playing well and winning the IPL. So,  if I keep doing it, I think that the rest of the things will follow. I don’t worry about who’s been picked and who’s not. That’s something which isn’t my part of the job. As I said, I’m enjoying my game and if I keep doing well, the rest of the things will take of itself.”