Parthiv Patel Replaces Injured Wriddhiman Saha For 3rd India-England Test At Mohali

Parthiv Patel, who will replace first-choice keeper Wriddhiman Saha, last played for India in 2011.

The Board of Cricket for Control in India (BCCI) on Wednesday announced that Parthiv Patel will replace Wriddhiman Saha as India's wicketkeeper for the third Test against England at Mohali. Saha, India's first-choice wicketkeeper-batsman in the longest format of the game, developed a strain in his left thigh during the second Test at Visakhapatnam. As a precautionary measure, Saha has been advised rest by the Indian team's medical team. Patel's last Test appearance for India was against Sri Lanka in 2008. In fact, the left-hander hasn't played international cricket since his T20I outing against England in 2011. In 20 Tests, the 31-year-old has accumulated 683 runs at an average of 29.69. Patel has four fifties to his credit in whites. Parthiv has enjoyed a wonderful start to his 2016-17 Ranji Trophy with Gujarat. He has scored 415 runs so far an average of 59.28, with three fifties and a hundred. For Delhi's young wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant, it is not logistically possible to reach Mohali from Wayanad, where he is currently playing a Ranji Trophy match, before 25th late evening after completing the match on 24th. Pant, who is currently topping the run charts in the Ranji Trophy with 874 runs, would have to travel to either Kochi or Thiruvananthapuram by road from Wayanad, and then take a flight to Delhi followed by another connecting flight to Chandigarh in order to reach Mohali. The BCCI on Tuesday named a 16-man squad for the remaining three Tests against Alastair Cook's side. Fit-again Bhuvneshwar Kumar was brought back in place of veteran opening batsman Gautam Gambhir, who was released from the squad. The Mohali Test is set to be played from November 26. India lead the five-match series 1-0.