A different kind of rendezvous

Nine years after they first faced each other,Patel and Hoggard meet in their new roles.

The first full over that Parthiv Patel faced on his international debut was bowled by Matthew Hoggard. This happened during Indias tour of England,a good nine years ago. Patel was 17,and Indias first-choice wicketkeeper; Hoggard was 23,and Englands pace spearhead. At Trent Bridge back in 2002,the entirety of their respective careers lay ahead of them. About an hours drive from their first rendezvous in Nottingham,the two met again at Grace Road in Leicester,when the Indians played their final practice game.

Almost a decade has passed since that Test match face-off but surprisingly,Parthiv still retains his boyish looks,while Hoggard his goofiness. But those are not the only constants. Of late,both Parthiv and Hoggard are living the second wind of their respective careers,finding their feet in their new roles.

Post his international retirement,Hoggard continued to remain the affable Hoggy. First,his witty tell-all book did roaring business when it was released countrywide,and these days his light-take-on-heavy-cricketing-matters newspaper column is busy spreading smiles. But Hoggards real high after his England days arrived just last week,when the fast bowler guided a rag-tag bunch to the national T20 title on Saturday.

In the process,his image,and CV,found a new enhanced dimension. Now,Hoggy is viewed as Englands Warney,doing what Shane Warne did with Rajasthan Royals in the inaugural IPL season. And as the Leicestershire Foxes took a lap of honour with the newly won silverware in hand before the game against the Indians,Hoggard wore a satisfied grin on his face,looking comfortably settled in his new role as an inspirational,likeable leader.

Not far away from Hoggy,Parthiv was busy padding up for a fresh challenge. With Gautam Gambhir still complaining about haziness due to the fall that caused a concussion during the final Test the second-choice keeper in the squad was now the first-choice opener.

Even if there is a magical improvement in Gambhirs vision,doubts over his match fitness are sure to be raised when the think tank decides to select the XI,considering he hasnt been a regular at the nets. The Delhi lad has been an aloof member of this squad,as he is often seen walking gingerly with the team physio ever since India lost the Test series 4-0. With the team management still holding the Gambhir card close to the chest,the option of flying in a specialist opener seems unlikely.

Virender Sehwags replacement Ajinkya Rahane happens to be in the squad,but his early dismissal against Leicestershire ensured that Parthiv will give Sachin Tendulkar company at the top of the order in the one-dayers. Just as was the case for most games in the Test series,India will be playing with a stand-in opener in the ODIs too.

Old adversaries

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Apart from his early dismissal against Kent,Parthiv has given India fine starts in the practice games against Sussex and Leicestershire. He was gutsy and cheeky while scoring his 46 at Hove,and at Leicester he helped his side hit the ground running. Against his old adversary Hoggard,Parthiv started well,cutting him for a four in the first over. Later,he also ferociously pulled him,while also gently driving him through the covers. His 31-ball 40 was laced with half a dozen boundaries,even as the diminutive man danced down the track to bowlers much taller than him. It might not be that easy against smarter and faster bowlers,however.

There will be many challenges ahead of Parthiv over the next couple of weeks. But if he can conquer them,like his old adversary Hoggard did last week,then Parthiv too will expecting to be part of a victory lap,with a smile on his cherubic face.