'I Am Improving Every Day'

Parthiv Patel, one of the youngest players to don thewicketkeeper's gloves in world cricket, said the disappointing tour of Australiaand the constant scrutiny by critics had strengthened his resolve to makehimself a permanent member of the Indian team "by improving everyday".

The baby-faced teenager said he had identified theflaws in his wicket-keeping during the Australian tour and had worked hard torectify them.

"I have worked very hard on my keeping after thetour. I knew I was not up to the mark so I was determined to rectify all myproblems. I still have a long way to go," the 19-year-old Patel said.

Patel's ordinary display behind the stumps had raised aquestion mark over his international career but the national selectioncommittee, which includes two wicketkeepers who played for the country withdistinction -- Syed Kirmani and Kiran More -- reposed faith on the youngster andpersisted with him for the historic tour of Pakistan.

The youngster has not disappointed, having put up amuch improved performance behind the stumps in the first two Tests in Multan andLahore and also contributed with the bat by equalling his highest score of 62 inthe Lahore Test which India lost by nine wickets.

With help from former wicketkeepers and video technology, Patel identified theflaws in his keeping and worked hard on rectifying them.

"I felt that maybe I was not watching the ballclosely in Australia, and that I was probably getting up a little early. I gotsome inputs from Ian Healy, I am obviously in constant touch with Kiran More,and Kiri bhai too helped me out.

"After listening to them, I went and watched somevideos of mine, and I found what they had identified was exactly what waswrong," he said.

"I thought there might be some extra bounce on theAustralian wickets, so I was just trying to get up a fraction of a second early.But that was not helping, because the wickets weren't behaving the way I hadanticipated."

Having smoothened the rough edges, Patel played indomestic cricket after returning from Australia. "I played a couple of one-dayersin Ahmedabad, and in the Duleep Trophy too. I did sense a difference in mykeeping.

"I am more confident now. I kept well in theDuleep Trophy, and for a whole day in the practice match in Kolkata before weleft for Pakistan."

With the Indians preferring to go with vice-captainRahul Dravid as wicketkeeper in the one-dayers, Patel did not get to play in thefive-match one-day series.

"It's a bit hard to just sit out. Nobody can improve his game unless hekeeps playing. So it has been quite a difficult period from that point of view,a bit frustrating for me. But it was also good in one sense in that I got sometime to work on my wicket-keeping and my batting."

Patel made his Test debut as a 17-year-old in TrentBridge and was considered a naturally talented keeper but his career graph tooka downward plunge with some ordinary displays in recent times. But the young manis determined to turn a new leaf on this tour.

"Such periods come in every player's career. Theremight be some bad phases, there might be some good phases. Whatever hashappened, has happened. I have worked hard on my wicket-keeping now andhopefully, it will be a better period for me."

Patel believed the Pakistan tour had been a goodexperience for him and he wanted to leave a mark as a series against the archrivals was always special.

"I am very lucky to come to Pakistan. A lot ofIndian cricketers haven't got the chance to come here in their career. It is abig series for me personally. I am trying to hold my nerve and play up to mystandards."

PTI