Parthiv Patel: Only fifteen but dreaming big already
Cricket is not just a sport in India, it is a second religion for the inhabitants of the subcontinent
Waleed Hussain
01-Jan-2001
Cricket is not just a sport in India, it is a second religion for
the inhabitants of the subcontinent. Every youngster playing
cricket in the streets and maidans of India dreams of playing for
the country.
A decade ago when Sachin Tendulkar broke into the Indian side as
a teenager, not only had he made a record but he also proved that
age is not a restricting factor when it comes to playing cricket.
A youngster from the sedate state of Gujarat has a similar dream
to play for his country. The boy like many more before him picked
up the cricket bat when he was three years old. His first
introduction with the leather ball was not until the age of ten.
Five years later the boy finds himself leading the West Zone
Under-19 team against a touring England Under-19 side.
The boy is Parthiv Patel, a fluent southpaw, who has the dual
responsibility of opening the innings with the bat and keeping
wickets. His idol is the explosive Aussie, Adam Gilchrist.
Patel's explosive drives are already showing signs of being
similar to the Aussie stumper. Patel loves to thump the ball, he
paces his innings with a blend of calculated attack and rock
solid defense.
Gilchrist lead the Australian team to a test victory over the
West Indies in the absence of Steve Waugh. Similar traits
followed for his young fan. Patel got his chance to lead the West
Zone Under-19 against the England Under-19 due to the
unavailability of the West Zone skipper Vinayak Mane. He could
not emulate his idol's feat as the rains played spoil sport
washing out two of the three days of play.
Patel only in his second season in the Under-19 age group finds
himself not only donning the gloves but also the honour of
leading the prestigious West Zone Under-19 side. In the current
season Patel lead the Gujarat Under-16 team in the Vijay Merchant
trophy where his batting aggregate speaks volumes of his prowess.
This season alone he has ammased 902 runs in the Under- 16 and
the Under-19 matches. He scored his maiden hundred at the start
of this season and hasn't looked back since. Patel already has an
unbeaten double hundred to his name at the tender age of fifteen.
The level of maturity that the young teenager displays is truly
amazing. He lead Gujarat to a draw after conceding the first
innings lead to giants Mumbai in their own backyard in the Under-
16 tournament. Patel has also achieved the distinction of scoring
a hundred in each innings. He acheived this target in an Under-16
match against Maharashtra. He scored a century in the first
innngs and an unbeaten double hundred in the second.
Even at the tender age of fifteen, Patel has made his mark at the
Under-19 level. His prolific performances have earned him a place
in the Rest of India Under-19 team to play for the MA Chidambaram
Trophy against the Cooch Behar Trophy winners, Haryana.
Patel aspires to play for India and would like to beat Australia
in a test match in Australia. Long dreams but like we all know
dreams come true for people who want them badly enough.