Wrong grooming or the wrong guy groomed?

Parthiv Patel faces the most-important five days of his international career in Nagpur, starting Tuesday. No longer the blue-eyed boy 8212;...

Parthiv Patel faces the most-important five days of his international career in Nagpur, starting Tuesday. No longer the blue-eyed boy 8212; or the Boy in Blue for that matter 8212; there are many questioning Patel8217;s position in the Test side and Nagpur might be his last chance to be part of Team India.

Former Test wicket-keeper and chairman of selectors till a few days back Syed Kirmani says, 8216;8216;Nagpur should be his last chance. If he doesn8217;t perform he should get the stick.8217;8217;

The present selection committee doesn8217;t quite agree with Kirmani and calls Patel8217;s misadventures at Bangalore and Chennai a couple of 8216;8216;off-days at office8217;8217;. Understandably so, considering the stakes.

Patel8217;s fate will also decide the outcome of Indian cricketing longest grooming exercise. Since making his ODI debut in January 2002, Patel has played 14 one-dayers but sat out for more than double the number of games. His average of 14.00 also meant he lost out to Dinesh Kaarthick as Rahul Dravid8217;s 8216;second8217; after the Asia Cup in July this year. Now, it appears the Parthiv Experiment in Tests aren8217;t getting the desired results either.

And as it happens so often in Indian cricket the blame game has started. Kirmani says, 8216;8216;He shouldn8217;t have been drafted so early. Going through the domestic grind is important. The child was thrown into the deep seas.8217;8217;

Present chairman of selectors Kiran More gives a different view using the same analogy. 8216;8216;Only if one throws a child at the deep end of the pool will he learn to swim,8217;8217; he says.

Caught in the mess is the teenager, currently staring at an abridged international career.

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In case it happens, will the 19-year-old join the likes of Deep Dasgupta and Ajay Ratra? Kirmani8217;s solution is, 8216;8216;back to the grind of domestic cricket and ironing out the flaws8217;8217;.

But Gujarat coach Aunshuman Gaekwad doesn8217;t quite agree with the idea of 8216;8216;back to the basics8217;8217;. 8216;8216;Whoever put him in the team and is now making such statements is contradicting himself. Since they have put faith in him, the focus should now be on trying to rectify his mistakes,8217;8217; he says.

The climb back to the international level after the drop too has its pitfalls according to Gaekwad. 8216;8216;There is the risk of a player being shattered and losing all self-confidence,8217;8217; he says.

That would be quite in contrast to the dream start he had to his international career. Flashback Nottingham, August, 2002: Alec Stewart, Farokh Engineer, Ian Smith and Erapalli Prasanna all predicted a long and glittering career after Patel8217;s debut. His technique was fine but he needs to improve his batting, they said. His batting improved while being on the fringes of the international team but somewhere on the way his keeping faltered.

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So was it the grooming that went wrong or was the wrong guy groomed?

Whatever the answer, for the crucial five days in Nagpur, Team India has a gloveful of problems behind the stumps. And it8217;s up to Patel to do the answering.

With inputs from Rohit Joshi in Ahmedabad

Sandeep Dwivedi

Sandeep Dwivedi is the Sports Editor at The Indian Express. He is one of India's most prominent sports journalists, known for his deep analytical insights and storytelling that often goes beyond scores and statistics to explore the human and cultural side of sports. Professional Profile Role: As the Sports Editor, he leads the sports coverage for the newspaper and the website. Weekly Column: He writes "The Sports Column," a weekly feature where he provides sharp, narrative-driven perspectives on the biggest sporting news of the week. Podcast: He is a frequent contributor to the "Express Sports" podcast (Game Time), where he discusses evolving trends in cricket and other international sports. Areas of Expertise While Dwivedi covers the entire sporting spectrum, his work is particularly noted in the following areas: Cricket: He provides extensive coverage of the Indian National Team and the IPL. He frequently analyzes the leadership styles of figures like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Gautam Gambhir. He is known for tracking the transition phases of Indian cricket and the evolution of specific players like Kuldeep Yadav and Rishabh Pant. Athletics & Olympic Sports: He has written extensively on Neeraj Chopra’s rise in javelin, the nuances of Indian shooting, and tennis legends like Sania Mirza and Leander Paes. Human Interest Stories: A hallmark of his writing is his focus on the struggles and backgrounds of athletes, such as the sacrifices made by Shafali Verma’s father or the "silent battles" of veteran players like Cheteshwar Pujara. Notable Recent Work & Themes Leadership and Dynamics: Recently, he has written about the dynamic between Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, and Rohit Sharma, arguing that personal friendship is not a prerequisite for team success. Sports & Culture: His articles often intersect with global culture, such as his deep dive into the 100-year legacy of the Harlem Globetrotters and their role as American soft power during the Cold War. The "Grey Areas" of Sport: He often addresses sensitive topics like the mental health of cricketers post-retirement, the "outrage industry" in sports broadcasting, and the impact of fan-wars on the game. Tenure and Experience Dwivedi has been with The Indian Express for over three decades. This experience allows him to provide historical context to modern sporting events, often comparing current crises or triumphs to those of previous generations. You can follow his latest work and columns on his official Indian Express Author Profile. ... Read More