The battle-scarred boy

The Indian Test team at the moment wears such a settled look that it's disheartening if you're a cricketer on the fringe. Even a talented cricketer like Yuvraj Singh can get a look-in only when someone is injured. In recent times, though, one spot that has been up for grabs is the wicketkeeper's. When he first emerged on the scene, Parthiv Patel looked an absolute natural behind the stumps. But, after two disappointing tours with the gloves, it is his spirited batting that that has kept him ahead in the race.

With the one-dayers out of the way, he is now back under the microscope. He clearly has not used a razor in a bit, and his fledgling beard makes him look older than his 19 years. Well, he looks almost 20, anyway. But the novelty of having a babe behind the stumps has long since worn off. He must deliver the goods now, and he realises this. It has been anything but an easy few months for Patel. "It's a bit hard to just sit out and not to play matches at all," he says. "Nobody can improve his game without keeping on playing matches. So it has been quite a difficult period from that point of view, a bit frustrating for me. But it was also good in one sense in that I got some time to work on my wicketkeeping and my batting."

And there has been plenty of cause for concern. After his debut at Trent Bridge, as a 17-year old, things have gone steadily downwards. But Patel is not yet worried. "Such periods come in every player's career," says Patel, in the manner of a battle-scarred veteran. "There might be some bad phases, there might be some good phases. Whatever has happened has happened. I have worked hard on my wicketkeeping now and, hopefully, it will be a good series for me."

The national selection committee, which includes two former Indian keepers in Syed Kirmani and Kiran More, have reposed their faith in Patel. In an attempt to rectify his mistakes Patel turned to the past masters, besides watching endless videos of himself. "I felt that maybe I was not watching the ball closely, and that I was probably getting up a little early. I got some input from Ian Healy, I am obviously in constant touch with Kiran More and Kiri bhai helped me out too. After listening to them, I went and watched some videos of mine, and I found that what they had identified - that I was not watching the ball properly and that I was getting up too early - was exactly what was wrong."

It's all very well identifying the mistakes, but it's also important to understand why he was committing them. "What happened was that I thought there might be some extra bounce on the Australian wickets, so I was just trying to get up just a fraction of a second early. But that was not helping, because the wickets in Australia weren't behaving the way I had anticipated."

With this figured out, Patel put himself through the wringer in domestic cricket after returning from Australia. "I played a couple of one-dayers in Ahmedabad, and I played the Duleep Trophy game too. I did sense a difference in my keeping. I am more confident now. I kept well in the Duleep Trophy game, and I kept for a whole day in the practice match in Kolkata before we left for Pakistan."

The dress rehearsals have all gone according to plan, and all that remains now is for Patel to perform on the big stage. And there are few stages bigger than a Test tour of Pakistan. Several cricketers played for India for many years with success, but never got the chance to play a Test in Pakistan - Javagal Srinath, for example. So Patel finds himself in an enviable position. Not yet out of his teens, his whole career ahead of him, he finds himself playing his first Test in Pakistan.

"I feel I am very lucky to come to Pakistan. A lot of Indian cricketers haven't got the chance to come to Pakistan in their entire careers. So it is a big series for me personally. I am just trying to hold my nerve and play up to my standards," he said. This Indian team has set pretty high standards, so this is going to be easier said than done.