Parthiv displays old-school pluck on return

There was the pitter patter of panic-stricken feet as India's innings began.

It was understandable that Parthiv Patel would be a bit eager. But his shot went straight to the fielder at cover. Expecting a run from there betrayed that he was playing Test cricket for the first time in eight years. And so for a few seconds he looked like a wind-up toy; wandering forward and wobbling back.

For the rest of the morning, he looked like a man with his captain and coach's backing along with the confidence of five 50-plus scores in his last six first-class matches.

Parthiv's contribution to India's total may at first glance seem small - 42 runs off 85 balls, collected in typical fashion through drives both pretty and flash, and cuts and flicks often delicate and precise. There was nothing new to talk about - Gautam Gambhir had provided a talking point with his open stance - and nothing spectacular about Parthiv's innings to warrant making space in the memory banks. He came, did his job, and might well disappear into the fabric of Indian cricket history. But he would be damned if he went without showing his value as a cricketer.

Prior to the start of the Test, KL Rahul, the specialist opener, had injured his left forearm in the nets and the team did not have any back-ups. That may have meant shoving Cheteshwar Pujara up the order - as had happened on a seaming track in Colombo 2015 - but he has been in outstanding form at No. 3. The new man in the XI - Karun Nair - was a debutant and he has played in the middle order all his domestic career. Virat Kohli has never batted at the top before and Ajinkya Rahane might have preferred the comfort of his usual No. 5 position given his lack of runs in this series.

That left Parthiv - the second-oldest player in the side - to keep wicket and then promptly come back to face James Anderson and company. He would have practiced for the position of No. 6 or 7 leading up to the match, but with one day's notice he was asked to do something vastly different. It is because of this willingness to do a tough job that so many teams - six IPL franchises included - like him. Sure, that also indicates how often he hasn't been retained in the same set up, but there's always someone willing to make a bid for him.

India went into Mohali with their sixth set of openers since the tour of Sri Lanka last year. Their bowlers had performed admirably, having lost the toss, to restrict England to 283 on a decent pitch. That was still runs on the board though, with the experts predicting batting to get more difficult with the passing of time. Parthiv, by lasting 26 overs, and playing as he usually does, proved to the rest of his team-mates - all of whom made their debuts after his last Test in August 2008 - that all was well. A man with his technique - impulsive on the drive and iffy on the pull - couldn't have prospered without making any adjustments if the surface had demons.

He got off the mark with a neat clip to the square-leg boundary and extended his innings with a review. Chris Woakes thought he had Parthiv caught down the leg side. Marais Erasmus agreed and raised the finger. Parthiv called for DRS immediately and gestured to his hip as he strode down the pitch. Replays confirmed neither bat nor glove was involved and Kumar Dharmasena, in a simple slip of the tongue, instructed his partner to "stay with your on-field decision."

It appears jokes just follow Parthiv, and if they can't land him, they go after the next sucker. He couldn't avoid them forever though. In the 21st over, he lost grip of his bat as he fended at a short ball. Before he could reorient himself, his partner M Vijay had called for a single, and like any number of cartoon characters with their backsides on fire he ran his legs off. Anil Kumble was seen indulging in good-natured laughter. Last November, Parthiv was quite happy to troll himself, tweeting a picture of his food and tagging it "even the dosa is taller than me." At the PCA stadium, India were taller because of him.