Gujarat Ranji captain wicketkeeper-batsman Parthiv Patel recalls what Sourav Ganguly said to motivate him. Parthiv Patel recalls how the BCCI president asked him to score 1000 runs in a season or win trophies.
Patel recalls an incident that happened a few years ago when he bumped into Ganguly at an airport. Parthiv who was scoring a lot of runs in the domestic circuit shared his interaction with the BCCI president.
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“I was scoring lots of runs in domestic cricket. I bumped into Sourav Ganguly at an airport once the season finished. He asked me: “how was your season”. I said I have got 700 runs in the season. Ganguly replied: ‘yeh toh tu har saal karta hai, kuch aisa kar ki aur zyaada notice ho. Either score 1000 runs or get the team to win trophies. So that everyone would start noticing you,” Patel recalls.
Since his international debut in 2002, Parthiv Patel has represented India in 25 Tests and 38 ODIs. The 35-year-old cricketer said he is still playing the game citing Ganguly’s words of wisdom.
“It is just the passion of being on the field, just being around this whole atmosphere. That itself is a big motivation. I don’t believe in…whether I am playing IPL or playing Test cricket, Ranji Trophy or a club game, I like to be on the field. That burning desire is still there” he said.
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Speaking on a YouTube show, Patel recalls sledging former Australian captain Steve Waugh. Waugh famously said to Patel: “Show a bit of respect, you were in nappies when I played my first Test match,” said the Aussie who was playing his last test match at Sydney.
Patel recalls how he gave it back to the Waugh family 15 years later. “I didn’t bump into Steve Waugh, but I did bump into his son, during the Test match in Sydney in 2018-19. He was one of the substitute fielders for Australia. I went upto him and said: “You were in your nappies when I made my Test debut.”
I told him to pass my regards to his dad (Steve Waugh) and just say those words back to him,” added Patel.
