Parthiv Patel injured during Ranji Trophy quarter-final
What's the story?
Gujarat captain Parthiv Patel injured his finger on day four of the Ranji Trophy quarter-final against Bengal at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur. With the India tour of South Africa on the horizon, fitness of the 32-year-old wicketkeeper will be keenly monitored, especially after hurting the middle finger on his left hand.
At the end of the day's play, teammate Manprit Juneja said: "He got hit twice or thrice on his finger and it was hurting badly. Not sure what the update is on his injury though". While coach Vijay Patel confirmed that he suffered an injury, he reassured that it was just a minor one and wouldn't take too long to heal.
In case you didn't know...
One of the surprises in India's squad for the South Africa tour was the inclusion of Parthiv Patel as the back-up keeper. The 17-man squad that has five front-line fast bowlers also included a back-up option with the gloves, which came as a surprise to many.
The heart of the matter
The 32-year-old was wincing in pain shortly after lunch on day four of the quarter-final against Bengal, where his side are on the ropes. He tried to collect the ball behind the stumps but failed to do it and immediately left the field. He didn't return to the action for the rest of the day as Bengal built up a massive lead and are on the brink of securing a spot in the semi-final of this year's Ranji Trophy. In his absence, Anuj Rawal came in as a substitute and kept wickets for Gujarat for the rest of the day.
What's next?
India are currently playing the limited-overs leg of the series against Sri Lanka. They will then travel to South Africa for the Test series that begin in January 2018.
Author's take
Having been picked as the back-up keeper for the Test series against South Africa, India will be hoping that the injury to Parthiv Patel isn't particularly series. With Gujarat on the brink of being knocked out of Ranji Trophy at the quarter-final stage, India will be hoping that the keeper has plenty of time to recover. The fact that it is just a minor injury will be a huge relief for Indian supporters as they don't have a back-up apart from Parthiv when it comes to keepers, especially in the longest format.