Ex-keepers stump Patel, root for Karthik

Mumbai: Despite diminutive wicket-keeper Parthiv Patel showing considerable improvement during the Indian Premier League (IPL), former glove-men Kiran More, Chandrakant Pandit, Nayan Mongia and Sameer Dighe prefer Dinesh Karthik for the Test series in Sri Lanka.

“Even though Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s pullout from the Test squad has opened the doors for Patel, he is still only the second best 'keeper to Karthik when it comes to experience in Test cricket. It’s an unfortunate situation as both are young but Karthik definitely holds an advantage even though Parthiv has improved his batting recently,” Kiran More told Cricketnext.com on Friday.

“The best 'keeper in the side should always play in the XI of a Test match, unlike in an ODI, where an all-rounder (wicketkeeper-batsman) is an added advantage. And the best stumper in the side is undoubtedly Karthik. He should play in all the three Tests until and unless he performs badly,” he added.

“Parthiv should consider himself lucky in the sense that the selectors have brought him back after a gap of four to five years and he is still in circulation. In fact, with his breathing down Karthik’s neck, the Tamil Nadu lad cannot take chances and will have to be on his toes all the time which again is good for the team as there is healthy competition among the two,” observed More.

Pandit, who had been More’s deputy for most part of his career, felt it was very difficult to choose between the two as both had improved tremendously even though Karthik was more experienced and had played even when Dhoni was in the side.

“There is hardly anything to pick between the two (Karthik and Patel) as both have improved their skills in recent times. Karthik, with his vast experience, should be the first choice in a Test match even though Parthiv has improved his batting,” Pandit said.

“With so much of cricket being played nowadays, Parthiv should keep his spirits high, as he still has a chance of playing in the eleven due to the wear and tear for both the keepers (Dhoni and Karthik). Getting picked in the Indian team is itself is a big motivation factor for him to keep playing,” he added.

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