I have been playing cricket with nine fingers: Parthiv Patel

Parthiv Patel, broke onto the international scene in 2002 at the age of 17 years and 153 days which made him Test cricket's youngest wicket-keeper. The seasoned campaigner has accumulated over 10,000 runs in First-class cricket.

The 35-year-old veteran has been on a rollercoaster his entire cricket career. Recently, Parthiv Patel revealed something that not many would have known.

In an interview for YouTube show 'Cow Corner Chronicles with Chandresh', Parthiv revealed how it has been difficult for him to keep wickets with just 9 fingers. 

Parthiv Patel revisited an incident to the time when he was just 6-years-old. His little finger on the left hand was caught between the door and got cut. "My finger came in the door when I was six, and it got cut," Parthiv Patel said.

“It is slightly difficult in a way because the last finger doesn’t fit in the wicket-keeping gloves. So I tape it down the gloves so that it stays joint. I don’t know how it would’ve been if I had all the fingers but when I look back, it feels good to represent India as a wicket-keeper with nine fingers,” he added.

It was under the current Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Sourav Ganguly's captaincy that Parthiv Patel made his debut for the Indian national team.

Parthiv Patel added that because of Sourav Ganguly that he has “still not given up hopes” of making a return to the Indian team.

Parthiv Patel currently plies his trade for Gujarat in the domestic circuit and dons the Red & Bold colours of Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the IPL. Over the years, his batting performance for both Gujarat and RCB has been a pinnacle of success.

Helen Keller once quoted, "optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence," and that is exactly what Parthiv Patel did. His fight, passion and dedication for the game is immense.