There were phases in my career where I questioned myself, says Parthiv Patel

Parthiv Patel burst onto the big stage of international cricket all the way back in 2002 when India played against England at Trent Bridge aged just 17 years and 153 days as he became Test Cricket's youngest wicket-keeper. However, despite making his India debut so early in his career, Parthiv was often sidelined due to the lack of form and also the emergence of the great - MS Dhoni.

Patel, who was part of the RCB squad in this year’s IPL, revealed to Gaurav Kapur on the popular talk show - Breakfast with Champions, that there have been a lot of ups and downs throughout his career that’s spanned almost 16-odd years now.

"I would be lying if I said that I did not have negative vibes in my career. There were multiple times where I thought, “Why am I still doing this?” But I had a strong desire and self belief that I wanted to play for India again. That was what keep spurring me on. 

"But there were obviously phases where I questioned myself. There were times when I had scored 700-800 runs in the Ranji Trophy but someone who had scored 200-300 runs was picked ahead of me," Patel said during the interview.

Patel has struggled to cement a spot in the Indian national team, mostly due to the brilliance of Dhoni, both with the bat and as a captain. But while many would see that with a negative perspective, Patel chose to look at the brighter side of things as he spoke of the great admiration he had for the CSK skipper.

"MS is a legend. Many people have told me that I was born in the wrong era. But the way I look at it is that we got a chance to play before him. Had we performed well, he would not have played. So instead of thinking that we did not perform because of him, we have to realize that we did not live up to the potential. 

"That was why MS came into the team. To blame someone else or to say that we were born in the wrong era is just to make yourself feel better. You feel good when someone tells you that but deep down you know that you have not performed and that is why he is in the team," Patel added.