New Delhi: After announcing his retirement, Indian team wicket batsman Parthiv Patel said his first Test captain Sourav Ganguly with Indian veteran Anil Kumble was the ‘real leader’. These two players had a great influence on him in addition to cricket and in life as well.
The 35-year-old said goodbye to his 18-year-old cricket career and said it was the ‘right time’ for Gujarat to move forward after becoming three more IPL champions of almost all national cricket titles.
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Parthiv Patel said: “I still see Sourav Ganguly as the leader in terms of people management skills. Sourav and Anil were great captains. He did a lot to make me who I am today.
He said: “I still have the hat from the first test match that Dada (Ganguly) gave me. The test wins at Headingley (2002) and Adelaide (2003-04) and the 50’s opening at Rawalpindi are the most memorable moments for me.
He said he has been planning to retire for a year, but now is the best time.
He said, “After this decision, I felt peace and was able to sleep well. My family members’ eyes were wet though. I had envisioned this for a year and after 18 years there was almost nothing left to achieve.
Parthiv Patel said: “I won all the national tournaments. He also has three IPL trophies. I think Gujarat cricket is the right place ”.
Playing as a wicket-keeper was no easy task in Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s day, but Parthiv, with his passion for the game, has been key in making a state like Gujarat a strong team in national cricket.
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He said: “ The Indian team toured New Zealand in 2009. Before that I had scored 800 points in the Ranji Trophy and scored a century in the Duleep Trophy final. I did not have a place in the national team at the time. I thought my career was over. But then I thought of something else and it was a decision to build a team.