'There is no comparison' - Parthiv Patel reveals his pick for best wicketkeeper-captain

Parthiv Patel. (Photo Source: Parthiv Patel/YouTube)

Former India wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel shared his views on the best wicketkeeping captains and left-handed wicketkeeper-batters across eras.

On being asked who he considers the best wicketkeeping-captain between Andy Flower, Kumar Sangakkara and MS Dhoni, Patel reckoned that Dhoni was beyond comparison and a “far better” wicketkeeper than Sri Lanka legend Sangakkara.

“There is no comparison. Mahendra Singh Dhoni was a far better wicketkeeper-captain than Sangakkara,” Parthiv said while peaking on ‘The Great Indian Cricket Show’ on Doordarshan. 

“Because I played with Sangakkara in Deccan Chargers when he was the keeper-captain. It's not that he was bad. There's no disrespect, but Dhoni as a captain wicketkeeper was above everyone else,” he added.

Rishabh Pant is still a work-in-progress in white-ball cricket: Parthiv Patel

When asked to pick the best left-handed wicket-keeper batsman among Adam Gilchrist, Rishabh Pant and Kumar Sangakkara, Parthiv picked Gilchrist above the rest, reasoning that Sangakkara did not play his entire career as a wicketkeeper while labelling Pant a “work in progress”.

“Adam Gilchrist. Obviously, Sangakkara was a different player - style, grace. But he didn't play his entire career as a wicket-keeper batsman. Sometimes as a batsman, sometimes as a wicket-keeper,” Parthiv said.

“Rishabh Pant, I think, is still a work-in-progress as far as white-ball cricket is concerned. But I think Adam Gilchrist is the complete package in terms of white-ball and Test cricket,” he added.

Speaking of Parthiv international career, he made his Test debut for India in 2002 at the age of 17 against England at Trent Bridge, becoming the youngest wicketkeeper in Test history at the time. Over in his international career, he featured in 25 Tests, 38 ODIs and two T20Is, scoring more than 1,700 runs across formats.