Gujarat Titans have appointed former India wicketkeeper-batsman Parthiv Patel as batting and assistant coach for the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League (IPL), the franchise said on Wednesday. Parthiv will play a dual role in the support staff led by head coach Ashish Nehra.
The franchise said in a statement issued here, "Gujarat Titans is happy to announce the appointment of Parthiv Patel as its new assistant and batting coach. This former Indian wicketkeeper-batsman will add the experience of his 17 years of glorious career to the team."
The statement said, 'As the Titans are preparing for the upcoming season of the IPL, Parthiv's batting technique and ability to devise strategy will play an important role in enhancing the skills of the players.'
Parthiv retired from cricket in 2020. This will be the first time he will play the role of coach in the IPL. He was working as a talent scout for Mumbai Indians for the last three seasons. He was also the batting coach of MI Emirates in the first season of ILT-20.
IPL and Parthiv Patel have a long association. Under the captaincy of Mahendra Singh Dhoni, he used to open the innings for CSK along with Matthew Hayden. The tall Matthew Hayden used to thrash the bowlers ruthlessly. The short-statured Parthiv Patel also used to score runs for the Yellow Army with the same aggression. Now he would like to send the same fearless feeling to the batsmen of Gujarat as well.