Keeping up the morale

At Pindi, Patel made his strongest claim to an extended tenure behind the stumps by whizzing out of the ground first at the end of Pakistan8217;s first innings. In that sprint, he sealed all speculation about who exactly would open with Sehwag in this Test. And in that eager run, after an acrobatic 73 overs in energy-sapping heat and humidity, he proclaimed possession of a quality stumper8217;s foremost attribute: grit.

There was a time when wicketkeepers were cricket8217;s invisible men. Crouched behind the stumps, they had a job to do, and the sensible among them did it quietly and without flourish.

Today a wicketkeeper8217;s profile is transformed. He is the first among equals in a Test squad India, after all, have dispensed with a specialist wicketkeeper in one-dayers, figuring that a few byes are fair compensation for carrying an extra batsman. He is the team8217;s voice on the field; in the ebb and flow of the game, he must peddle the most wares.

At the most conspicuous level, a stumper today is the true spokesperson for a team. Cricket is consumed in largest measure by television audiences and stump microphones give primacy to a keeper. Disciplinarian administrators may have hushed his jeery interventions, but in his voice the team8217;s morale is transmitted to batsmen and viewers.

At 19, Parthiv has the air of a shy schoolboy about him. At social functions and press briefings he seems to be searching teacher, looking tentatively out of a lowered gaze, exchanging courtesies and answering inquiries solemnly.

On the field he is exuberance itself, dashing off to whack wicketless bowlers to boost their morale, jumping off the grass as if were a trampoline to sway resolute umpires.

It certainly tested the normally accommodating Ranjan Madugalle8217;s tolerance limits. Yet it reflected the character of Team India 8212; it signalled that they would not be bound by the goodwill spirit in the stands and, equally, that they would not be subdued by the pressures of subcontinental rivalry.

Parthiv has thought long and hard about it. At Multan he said he was aware that a keeper8217;s skills were not limited to glove work or even batting, that to him falls the task of keeping up the team8217;s spirits. Batting, however, is what part of a keeper8217;s worth is judged upon, he8217;s been working on. Today, in Rawalpindi, it showed.

Upon debut at Trent Bridge in Summer 2002 the youngest ever Test keeper, he exhibited natural glovework. And then he displayed uncommon resolve to survive any which way for 84 minutes and help India save the Test. In the seasons since, his batting has improved.

Today, initially he played late, gauging bowler and his craft. He took nasty knocks, but kept at it, driving straight and through the covers, giving proof of work in the nets with some accomplished flicks.

Later, as shadows lengthened in Rawalpindi and first Laxman and then Ganguly gave Rahul Dravid company out in the middle, the education of Parthiv continued. His knee bandaged and walking made excruciatingly painful, he was sitting with John Wright, going through replays of his batting.

Yet, this accomplishment with the bat has come amidst other recessions. Parthiv8217;s keeping has, of late, tended to be occasionally sloppy. He often reaches for the ball too early. Keep your eyes on the ball, he says, is Ian Healey8217;s advice to him, your body will do the rest.

The young man, be sure, will follow instructions. In that striving, however, may lie a clue to his problems. He may be trying too hard. This Indian team requisitions advice by the bucketful.

In his first outing, Parthiv sought out Alec Stewart. In months past, Healey has given him tips. For Parthiv it has been an equal swap. He has gained batting and keeping technique, he has ceded instinct. It is inevitable and fortuitous.

Cricket today values multipurpose participants. In Adam Gilchrist, workmanlike keeping and audacious batting are held together by a sunny personality and deep devotion to the game8217;s larger purpose. That Parthiv exhibits a desire to grasp all of that is good news for Indian cricket.