Sometimes you just need to keep doing things right and working hard and chances do come your way. There, perhaps, could not be a better example than the left handed Gujarat wicket-keeper batsman Parthiv Patel, who is set to play his first Test in eight years.

Patel was playing the Ranji Trophy leading Gujarat against Mumbai in Hubbali, Karnataka when the news of him featuring in the next Test at Mohali came on November 23, Wednesday.

With the Mohali Test not too far away, Patel had to travel across the country to Chandigarh to join his teammates. But he won’t mind, would he?

As a 17-year-old he received his maiden Test cap from the legendary Sachin Tendulkar. But that was almost a decade and a half ago, now he comes as an extremely experienced man who is about to complete his 10,000 First Class Runs. Parthiv Patel has always been amongst the runs in domestic cricket and taken his wicket-keeping to a completely different level altogether which compelled the selectors to consider him as an option. Parthiv comes in the team as a replacement for injured Wriddhiman Saha. Parthiv was chosen over wicket keepers like Naman Ojha and Dinesh Karthik who are regular members of the India A Team.

However, Parthiv says that he knew his chance was coming and he was prepared for it. He might also be aware that he has to prove his worth in the team in the limited chances he might get because once Saha gets fit, if Parthiv has to play for India, he must perform well and make his chance count.