Parthiv Patel is one of only four cricketers (Captain Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers and Yuzvendra Chahal are the others) in the current Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) squad that was part of their setup when the IPL train He last traveled to the United Arab Emirates. in 2014.
“We played here in 2014, but six years is a long time. The world is different, nothing is the same, ”Parthiv tells the Hindustan Times in an exclusive chat ahead of IPL 2020.
Pandemic intervention aside, many things have changed. Kohli has graduated from one of the best hitters in all formats to perhaps the best today. De Villiers has retired from international cricket and Chahal has established himself as one of India’s leading spinners in cue ball cricket.
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Through their smooth rise in international cricket, the three pillars of RCB remained with the franchise in their quest to win their first IPL. But not Parthiv. Their journey was a little different and not exactly uneventful. It never is with Parthiv.
The southpaw was released after the 2014 season and was bought back before 2018. Between these four years, Parthiv returned to the Indian side after eight years, held ground, opened up hitting in South African conditions, put his hand out every time the team required his services. It was the same with RCB, he slipped to the middle order in 2018 and then reopened hitting permanently last year and had his most shocking season in the IPL, scoring 373 runs with a strike rate of 139.17.
“My role? I’m a wicket-keeper hitter, I’ll hold the wickets and the bat normally,” says Parthiv followed by laughter. It’s another fact that Kohli was only 12 when Parthiv made his debut in India in 2002 and De Villiers still He was two years away from donning the South African jersey, that’s just Parthiv Patel, it took a second attempt to get him to confess that he is now part of the RCB leadership group.
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“Leading the team comes naturally, there are many young players (in the RCB squad) who feel quite comfortable chatting with me. I try to help them, make sure they are in a good space, that’s something you have to do as a senior player, help junior players, ”adds Parthiv, who led Gujarat to their Ranji Trophy title in 2017.
After the lefty’s excellent last season, ideally there should be no question about his batting position at RCB. But when it comes to IPL, almost nothing is on the expected line. The arrival of Australia’s limited captain Aaron Finch has caused an interesting headache in front of the RCB team’s leadership over their starting combination.
“Fortunately and fortunately I am not Mike Hesson (team principal). So I don’t have to make those decisions. It’s about the team, never the individual player. Regardless of what the team decides, I’ll be fine with that, ”says Parthiv.
RCB has a completely different support staff headed by team principal Mike Hesson and head coach Simon Katich. Parthiv says Hesson has brought peace of mind to the locker room.
“I think there is a lot of calm in the group and a lot of positive vibes with him (Mike Hesson around). The season is new, everyone is looking forward to it. Mike has been a successful coach around the world. So far, regardless of the practice sessions we’ve had, it has added great value. He gives importance to each player in the squad. Hopefully we can replicate this vibe and practice on the performance (when the IPL starts). “
Unlike most RCB cricketers, Parthiv won the IPL three times, once with CSK in 2010 and twice with the Mumbai Indians in 2015 and 2017, but the 35-year-old knows the importance of ending the RCB trophy drought.
“The RCB fans have always been loyal, they have been a great support for us during all these years. Like every year, we will enter the tournament with the hope of winning it. As one of the veteran players, I can assure you that we are going to play with our hearts in every game and try to win every time we step on the pitch ”, he adds.
However, the southpaw was quick to add the challenges of playing in a “different environment” this year.
“Obviously it is going to be different. It’s not the same to play at Chinnaswamy, playing at home makes a big difference. There is always a large crowd, there is a lot of commotion among the people. This time it will be without the crowd, we will play in different conditions. Hopefully by playing cricket we can bring joy to the world and to the Indian people.
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