Replacing a star performer brings with it the inevitable baggage of comparisons and Parthiv Patel does have big shoes to fill during India's tour of the West Indies.
The cherubic wicketkeeper substitutes M.S. Dhoni behind the stumps and Virender Sehwag at the top of the order in the Twenty20 and ODI leg of the series, which begins next month.
Speaking after Kochi Tuskers Kerala's defeat to Chennai Super Kings on Wednesday, Parthiv, skippering the debutant franchise following Mahela Jayawardene's departure, said he wouldn't pressurise himself by trying to emulate either of the superstars in the Caribbean.
“I've been keeping well and scoring runs. I can't say I'll keep like Dhoni or bat like Sehwag, but I'll try to perform to the best of my ability,” he said.
Parthiv squandered more than one chance against Super Kings but said he was happy with his overall showing in the IPL. He was also pleased at the returns of Tuskers in what was its first season.
Lots of positives
“There were a lot of positives. On paper everybody considered our side to be a weak one. We did not have any outstanding performers. But R.P. Singh's bowling was outstanding, and Jayawardene and I batted well… the best thing was that the whole team contributed to our wins.”
Chasing 152, Tuskers fell short by 11 runs against Super Kings to end its campaign on a losing note. Parthiv attributed the defeat to the team's failure to get going when things were still under control.
“The game was in our hands until the 13th-14th overs, but we did not accelerate well after that,” he said.
Tuskers notched up six wins during the season and Parthiv said the team think-tank would conduct a post-mortem of sorts in the coming days.
“Our coach will be here for a few days and we'll talk about how we want to approach the next season,” he said.
Preparation
Meanwhile, Super Kings' Wriddhiman Saha, declared Man-of-the-Match, said the league was helping him gear up for the tour of the West Indies.
“There are a lot of international players competing in the IPL, so it's of great help. It's also a good experience playing under Dhoni,” he said.
