Wicket-keeper Parthiv Patel has been brought in India 'A' side as cover for Rishabh Pant for the second unofficial second Test against New Zealand 'A'. The match is scheduled to begin on Saturday in Vijaywada. Pant got ill on the third day of the first unofficial Test after which Bengal's Sudip Chatterjee carried on with the responsibilities behind the stumps in the match. The officials from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) have suggested that Patel's selection is more a precautionary measure than necessity. Moreover, both Chatterjee and Parthiv Patel might get a chance to be a part of playing XI in the second encounter according to the officials. Rishabh scored 67 during his team's win over New Zealand 'A' by an innings and 31 runs. On the other side Parthiv Patel scored 17 and 26 against India Red while playing for India Green in the Duleep Trophy while didn't get a chance to bat against India Blue. The left-handed batsman also went past the 10000-run mark in domestic cricket while led Gujarat to Ranji Trophy title last season. Patel last donned the Indian Test jersey against England in December 2016 where he scored 71 runs while opening the batting with KL Rahul. India notched up a total of 759/7 (d) in that match after riding on Rahul's 199 and Karun Nair's record-breaking 303* to eventually win the match by an innings and 75 runs.
