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Parthiv has left story open-ended
When Parthiv Patel walked out to bat with Virender Sehwag, the Indian opening slot mystery for this Test was solved, writes Avirook Sen.
When Parthiv Patel walked out to bat with Virender Sehwag on Tuesday evening, the Indian opening slot mystery for this Test was solved. Only for this Test, because with a 69 under pressure, young Mr Patel has left the story open-ended: what happens in the next Test India plays? Where does Aakash Chopra fit in now? Does Yuvraj Singh have to score another 100 to retain his place? Or does Sourav Ganguly need to score a fighting 50-odd?
The inimitable Navjot Singh Sidhu (and thank God for the fact that he is inimitable) probably got it both right and wrong when he said the Indian team policy was "If it ain't broke, break it".
Everybody agreed that Parthiv's promotion is a short-term measure (a one-off, as Ganguly put it while explaining Chopra's omission). Most people expected Yuvraj Singh to open the batting. A few expected Ganguly to come out and take guard first up. No one was betting on Parthiv Patel to do the sort of job he did. And that's where the problem lies: the solution banked upon his failure.
Parthiv is an ordinary sort of fellow. When he goes out to parties with the rest of the side in between games, he stands on the edge, or just outside star territory, inconspicuously, with a diet soft drink for company. The spectacles he wears on these occasions add no years (in his case months) to his age. Batsmen against whom he keeps would be baffled by the personality transplant he gets each time he walks on to the ground -- what with all the exuberant appealing (we'll leave the less exciting catching aside for the moment).
On Wednesday it was this ordinary fellow's turn with the bat. They tried to soften him up with short stuff. He got soft once or twice but didn't get out. They tried to tempt him to play away to his favourite area behind point. He got tempted and guided them for four to third man instead of edging them. They tried to york him.
He dug them out and then played at least one memorable straight drive past Fazl-e-Akbar.
All this, unfortunately, is not the solution -- it's part of the problem. Parthiv averages in the early thirties in Test cricket, helped by the fact that he's got three 60s in this calendar year. But in recent times, he also averages one critical dropped chance behind the stumps -- his key result area, as they say.
His latest effort leaves India with a gutsy makeshift opener, a keeper who needs to put in work and a bad case of 'if it ain't broke, break it'.
