Parthiv Patel has announced retirement from all forms of cricket through an emotional letter on his social media handle on December 9, bringing curtains on 17-year long career in the sport. Patel was the youngest ever wicketkeeper to play for India when he made his debut for the Indian team at Nottingham in 2002. The Southpaw went on to 25 test matches for India.
In limited overs cricket, Patel managed to feature in 38 ODI games and two T-20 internationals. The wicketkeeper-batsman was known for playing gutsy knocks at different positions for team India.
Since MS Dhoni was the undisputed first-choice wicketkeeper across all formats for more than a decade, chances for Patel to play consistently for India were rare. He did make his comeback during the tour of South Africa in 2018.
Patel was part of the Indian squad that won the test series against Australia in 2019 but couldn’t get playing time since Rishabh Pant was the first choice option for the wicketkeeper position. His last ODI came way back in 2012 against Sri Lanka.
Patel has enjoyed a remarkable career in first-class cricket. He scored a remarkable century against Mumbai in the final of Ranji Trophy to chase down the mammoth score of 313 on the final day in the 2016/17 season. Patel led the team by example throughout the tournament to guide the team to the maiden Ranji title.
The left-handed batsman has also played with multiple franchises in the Indian Premier League, which including champions sides like Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians. His final stint in the IPL came with Royal Challengers Bangalore. He was part of the squad in the recently concluded 2020 season in the UAE.