Is the Parthiv Patel's selection a good one by the selectors?

Gujarat skipper Parthiv Patel was yesterday picked by the Indian selectors to join the squad in Bangladesh ahead of the Asia Cup as a back-up for skipper MS Dhoni. Dhoni according to the BCCI suffered a muscle spasm in his back during a training session on Monday. Parthiv last featured for India in an ODI during the triangular series in Australia in February 2012.

He has featured in just two T20Is for India, both in 2011. Parthiv’s form in domestic cricket is probably what helped him get picked ahead of the other wicketkeepers in contention. He scored 295 runs, in Gujarat’s Vijay Hazare Trophy campaign which ended with Patel lifting the trophy. He also did well in the Syed Mushtaq Ali trophy and the Deodhar Trophy.

Patel opens the batting for his state side and also for the Mumbai Indians in the IPL. The Indian team has a settled opening combination of Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan. If Dhoni were to be ruled out of the Asia Cup, a middle order spot will be vacated and someone like Naman Ojha would have been better suited to replace the Indian skipper. Ojha has played some spectacular innings for the Sun Risers Hyderabad team in the IPL batting in the said position. There is no denying Parthiv’s talent, however, batting in the middle order and getting on with the game immediately is a difficult task, especially for someone who has regularly faced the new ball.

The selectors could have also considered some other options like Wriddhiman Saha or Sanju Samson. Both of these players have proved their class in the IPL by taking on some of the best bowlers in the world. As far as the wicket-keeping part is concerned, Saha is arguably the country’s best gloveman. He is a regular member of the Indian Test side and proved his class behind the stumps in the series against South Africa and Sri Lanka.

Samson, who had a disappointing Ranji Trophy season, found some form in the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20s last month stroking his way to three typically aggressive half-centuries. Two years after becoming the youngest millionaire in the IPL, Samson remains a hot property in Indian cricket as the 2016 IPL auction recently revealed. The wicketkeeper-batsman was picked by Delhi Daredevils for Rs 4.2 crores, four times the amount with which the now defunct Rajasthan Royals renewed his contract in 2014. Only time will tell whether Parthiv will be required or not however for the benefit of the Indian team one hopes that if called upon, he justifies his selection.