Parthiv Patel retires: Top five knocks from India's youngest wicketkeeper

Parthiv Patel made his debut in the 2002 series against England in Trent Bridge. He showed some calmness with the bat and batted for a solid hour to help India escape with a draw. However, it was in the series against Australia that saw Parthiv Patel shine with the bat. He smashed an attacking 47 in one Test and in Melbourne, he held firm with an unbeaten 27*. However, in the fourth Test in Sydney, Parthiv Patel smashed his maiden fifty and his 62 came off just 61 balls with 11 fours as he helped Sachin Tendulkar reach his double century and also helped India reach 705/7 declared, their highest ever score in Australia. India drew the series 1-1. (Image credit: Twitter)

However, in the next series against Pakistan, his batting reached a different level. On a green deck in Lahore, Parthiv Patel was the only batsman who stood tall as he smashed 61. However, in the third Test in Rawalpindi, his brilliance shone through. Being promoted to open the batting, he was under immense pressure as Virender Sehwag was dismissed by Shoaib Akhtar off the first ball. But, Parthiv Patel held calm and along with Rahul Dravid, he hit 69 and put India on course for a massive total. His stand with Rahul Dravid laid the base for India's greatest series win. (Image credit: Twitter)

Gujarat had never made it big in the Ranji Trophy. When they reached the final, they were up against multiple-time champions Mumbai. However, leading from the front, Parthiv Patel smashed an unbeaten 143 as Gujarat won the Ranji Trophy title in grand style. The knock by Parthiv Patel was the highest by a captain in a successful run chase in a Ranji Trophy final. Gujarat had finally entered the big league and it was thanks to Parthiv Patel. (Image credit: Twitter)

Parthiv Patel faded away from the Test scene after the emergence of MS Dhoni. When Dhoni became the captain and was achieving tremendous success, Parthiv Patel found it difficult to come back into the Indian cricket team. However, in the 2016 series against England, Parthiv Patel was in fine form and his exploits with the bat gave India a famous 4-0 win in the five-Test series. Parthiv Patel smashed 67 in Mohali to give India a big win while in Chennai, he smashed his highest score of 71 as India completed a famous victory. (Image credit: Twitter)

Parthiv Patel had moderate success when it came to ODIs but most of his brilliance came while he was opening the innings. His best score came in 2011 against England in Chester-le-Street when he smashed 95. It is indeed very unlucky that Parthiv Patel never scored an international century but during his stint, he did have some highs in a career that was largely overshadowed by MS Dhoni. (Image credit: Twitter)