Oops! Has Parthiv Patel done a Britney?

If international sportsmen are becoming more and more like pop stars, then India's baby-faced wicketkeeper, Parthiv Patel, might just have taken the comparison one stage further. According to reports in the Indian press, Parthiv, 19, has gone and done a Britney Spears, and got himself accidentally hitched in a marriage ceremony in Rajkot.

When Parthiv made his debut in 2002, in the second Test against England at Trent Bridge, he was so fresh-faced that Nasser Hussain patronisingly described him as looking like a 12-year-old. But it would appear that Parthiv has grown up quickly this week, and ever since his alleged marriage to a local girl, Richa Sharma, his home state of Gujarat has reportedly been buzzing.

His family is less than convinced at the validity of the claims, however. "Earlier we were concerned," his uncle, Jagat Patel told The Times of India. "Now we are convinced it's a joke. Even Parthiv has taken it lightly. We heard him jest with a caller, asking him to show him his 'wife'."

The girl has been untraceable for four days, since the alleged ceremony took place in a local temple on September 16, and Parthiv's father, Ajay, is considering lodging a police complaint. "The signature on the document is not that of Parthiv," he said, adding that his son's age had wrongly been given as 24. "We are consulting lawyers and will soon decide on filing a complaint."