"I have now kept wickets to both Tendulkars" - Parthiv Patel jokes as he dons the gloves again during MI's practice session
Former Indian wicketkeeper-batter Parthiv Patel was seen donning the gloves again during Mumbai Indiansβ (MI) practice session in the UAE ahead of IPL 2021. Parthiv was hired as a Talent Scout for the defending IPL champions MI last year.
On Tuesday, MI shared a video of their practice session in which Parthiv is seen with the gloves behind the stumps. The clip begins with Parthiv pointing at young keeper-batter Ishan Kishan and commenting in a light-hearted tone:
"I have to keep wickets because of him, so that he gets to bat."
Out on the ground, Parthiv seemed to enjoy his stint behind the wickets after which he quipped:
"I have now kept wickets to both Tendulkars."
Sachin Tendulkar was an integral part of MI during the early years of the IPL. His son Arjun was purchased for his base price of INR 20 lakh at the IPL auction earlier this year.
MI had an inconsistent run in the first half of IPL 2021 in India. They won four and lost three matches and were at No. 4 in the points table when the event was suspended due to COVID-19.
"There would be jitters in CSK and RCB's mind" - Parthiv Patel
According to Parthiv, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) will have some jitters heading into the second half of IPL 2021 in the UAE, since they would have to start from scratch.
CSK and RCB, along with Delhi Capitals (DC), were the most impressive sides in the first half of IPL 2021.
Speaking on Star Sports show 'Game Plan', Parthiv reckoned that both CSK and RCB would be ruing the loss in momentum.
"Definitely I think there would be jitters in CSK's mind, there would be jitters in RCB's mind. You know we're talking about teams like CSK, they wanted games behind their back, someone like Dhoni, like Raina, Like Rayudu, like Robin Uthappa, they're not playing cricket throughout the year, but they're just getting into the groove and they got this break.
"And teams like RCB you know, they need that momentum to start the tournament which they had, so I think these are the two teams which would be thinking 'Oh okay we'll go again, and start from scratch.'
"This break for teams which are at 4,5,6 they would be thinking that they have a chance to come back and teams who are in the 2nd or 3rd would be thinking that they have to start well again."
IPL 2021 will resume on September 19 with a clash between MI and CSK in Dubai. The final will be played on October 15.