Parthiv hones his skills in the best coaching camp of all

While most of his friends snatch bits of the world cup in between studying for, and taking, their annual exams, Parthiv Patel is in the midd...

While most of his friends snatch bits of the world cup in between studying for, and taking, their annual exams, Parthiv Patel is in the middle of the Real Thing, rubbing shoulders with his idols, carrying important messages out to them or handing them water bottles on the boundary line.

You suspect that at night, when no one’s watching, he pinches himself just to make sure it’s all really happening, that he won’t wake up and find himself in his Ahmedabad pol. ‘‘A few months ago, if someone had said all this would happen to me, I’d have laughed it off. Now I’m just going with the flow.’’

And picking up cricketing tips at the best coaching camp anywhere: the world cup. Though he knows he won’t get a match, he’s making the most of the learning experience. ‘‘Almost everybody teaches me something every day. When I’m keeping, for example, Dravid will tell me to loosen my grip. And watching Sachin Tendulkar is an entire education in itself.’’

Story continues below this ad

He’s also benefited from the extra attention John Wright pays to him, at least half an hour every nets. Wright’s favourite line to his youngest ward: Play straight. ‘‘He always insists that I play with a straight bat, whether one-dayers or Tests. He himself bowls me countless balls during nets.’’

Has he interacted with greats from other team during the World Cup? He nods his head. Have they given him some tips? The initial answer has a hint of the fierce pride that runs through this team: ‘‘When our team has players like Tendulkar, Ganguly, Dravid, Srinath and Kumble, and a coach who is so dedicated, I don’t need tips from others,’’ he says with smile.

Then he speaks of his interaction with Adam Gilchrist before the game at Centurion. ‘‘He came up and asked me to be strong in the legs and also showed me a few drills to improve me.’’

At 18 — he could play at least three more world cups, with a wealth of experience — it’s fair to assume that the tips and advice are one-way traffic. The young man almost bristles at the suggestion, though, and offers an example of his contribution to team tactics.

Story continues below this ad

Before the all-important game against Sri Lanka at The Wanderers, the team dicussion came to the name of Pulasthi Gunaratne, the pacer who shares the new ball with Chaminda Vaas. None of the Indian batsman had played him before, the data bank was empty and the room fell silent.

Then a small voice piped up from one corner. Parthiv had played the bowler while on tour to Sri Lanka with the India A team. ‘‘Since I had played him, I knew where he used to bowl and how we had tackled him during that tour. So my inputs were stored in the data bank’’, he says.

Since those first shots of him on the England tour last summer, all dimples and chubby cheeks, the change in Parthiv has been physical as well as attitudinal. He was then the team member with the most fat (baby fat) content. Today, he’s much leaner, the cheeks not so chubby, the whiskers not so straggly; all he needs to work on is stamina.

‘‘Andrew (Leipus) and (Adrian) Le Roux have spent a lot of time with me. They’ve made diet charts and specified some do’s and don’ts for me: No oily or fatty food, to begin with. When I am at home my mother sees to it that the instructions are followed,’’ he said.

Story continues below this ad

What, in a month of memorable moments, has been the most special? The win over Pakistan was the topmost, he says, then adds that another occasion was also very special. ‘‘It was my birthday on March 9, it was a memorable day for me. The team ordered a real big cake for me and we all went out to have dinner.’’