Ashwin even managed to deceive me with variations: Parthiv Patel

Indian wicket keeper Parthiv Patel was in all awe for the leading spinner Ravichandran Ashwin. In the post-match interaction, the 31-year old keeper revealed how R Ashwin bowled beautifully in the Mohali Test. The Test marked as the comeback Test for Patel after 8 long years. However, the southpaw mentioned that it did not seem like a long wait.

The dressing room atmosphere was very friendly. Parthiv Patel revealed that the players welcomed him nicely which helped him settle his nerves. “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. That’s the beauty of this team,” mentioned the Gujarat wicket-keeper.

Parthiv Patel looked a much better and improved player when he took the field in Mohali. He had got a decent start in the first innings. However, he perished in his attempt to go downtown and could score just 42. He backed it up with an unbeaten 67 and hit the winning runs for India. He cited the experience gained from domestic cricket to have helped him a great deal.

His intent was aggressive right from the word go. The wicket-keeper batsman is very well aware of this fact. He quoted, “Playing aggressively suits my game. The intent was very important, and I backed myself.” Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin was also all praise for Parthiv Patel in the interaction. He cited how Patel cuts and pulls the balls with ease.

Patel made no hesitation in returning the favor of admiration. He said that Ashwin was bowling so well that even Patel himself was getting deceived by the variations behind the stumps. “Ashwin was brilliant. The way he varied his pace was brilliant. He deceived even me,” Patel conceded. Whether Patel gets another match or not, depends entirely on the fitness of Wriddhiman Saha. For now, it is his moment to enjoy.