Parthiv Patel
Parthiv Patel (Credits: File photo)

Parthiv Patel was just a teenager when he made his international debut against England back in 2002.

And, he did at a time when the likes of Harbhajan Singh and Anil Kumble were at their peak.

The former Indian wicketkeeper-batsman, in a recent interview to Rediff, revealed that he found it a real challenge to keep against the liked of Harbhajan Singh and Anil Kumble at the start of his career since the duo were faster than normal spinners and the biggest challenge for him was the bounce that they used to generate.

It was a big challenge for sure, because Anil Bhai and Harbhajan were at their peak. Their speed was faster than the normal spinners, but more than the speed the biggest challenge was the bounce which they were generating, especially when playing in Chennai and Mumbai. So that was a very big challenge,” Parthiv Patel told Rediff.com.

 

Parthiv Patel opens up about keeping to Javagal Srinath and Zaheer Khan

Parthiv Patel Opens Up On The Challenges Of Keeping To Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh, Javagal Srinath And Zaheer Khan During The Initial Part Of His Career
Parthiv Patel. Credit: Getty Images

The former Indian wicket-keeper also talked about his experience of keeping wickets against the likes of Javagal Srinath and Zaheer Khan.

Patel said that while the world keeps on talking about fast bowlers from other countries, he found keeping to Zaheer and Srinath quite challenging, especially when there was reverse-swing in play.

“Zaheer Khan and Javagal Srinath were playing, so that was a big challenge too. There isn’t much of bounce and the ball comes at a good pace. You have to stand slightly closer to the stumps than you stand when playing outside India. So that was something I learned, as to where to stand behind the stumps when the ball is reverse swinging,” Parthiv told Rediff.com.

Parthiv Patel Opens Up On The Challenges Of Keeping To Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh, Javagal Srinath And Zaheer Khan During The Initial Part Of His Career
Getty Images

Parthiv also went on to say that it wouldn’t be unfair to compare Javagal Srinath with Australian legend Glenn McGrath, while reminiscing about his experience of keeping to the ‘Karnataka Express’.

“People talk about Glenn McGrath, but the first time I kept against Sri bhai he was right there and there about all the time and with good pace and bounce,” said Parthiv.

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