Cricketer Parthiv Patel announces retirement from all forms of cricket

New Delhi: Cricketer Parthiv Patel announced retirement from all forms of cricket on Wednesday.

“Today, I announce my retirement from all forms of cricket, and as I bring down the curtains on my 18-year-long career, I feel heavier with gratitude towards many. The BCCI showed a generous amount of confidence and faith in a 17-year-old boy to play for India,” said 35-year-old Parthiv in a statement on Twitter. Parthiv also thanked all the captains he played under. The wicket-keeper-batsman made a special note for Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) President Sourav Ganguly, under whose captaincy he made his debut in international cricket.

“I’m especially indebted to Dada, my first captain, who showed immense faith in me,” said Parthiv.

 

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Congratulations pp on a wonderful career. Wishing you well! God bless.

— Pragyan Ojha (@pragyanojha) December 9, 2020

Parthiv had made his debut in 2002 against England at Trent Bridge, aged 17 years and 153 days, becoming Test cricket’s youngest wicket-keeper at the time. The wicket-keeper was the frontline choice in the longest format for a couple of years, but with MS Dhoni emerging in international cricket, Parthiv ended up losing his spot.

In 2016, Parthiv made his comeback in the Test series against England as a replacement for the then injured Wriddhiman Saha. As a result, Parthiv played his first Test in eight years.

In the 50-over format, the wicket-keeper batsman made his debut in 2003. He was also a part of the 2003 World Cup squad but he didn’t get a chance to feature in the playing XI.

Parthiv played 25 Tests, 2 T20Is, and 38 ODIs for India, managing to score 1,706 runs across all formats.

The wicket-keeper batsman has also represented Chennai Super Kings, Kochi Tuskers Kerala, Deccan Chargers, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Royal Challengers Bangalore, and Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League.

In domestic cricket, Parthiv had led Gujarat in the 2016-17 Ranji Trophy. Under his leadership, Gujarat managed to win its first Ranji Trophy title after defeating Mumbai in the finals.