NEW DELHI: Experienced India wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel has revealed he played with nine fingers all throughout his career as he lost his little finger as a six-year-old child.
"My finger came in the door when I was six, and it got cut," Parthiv said while speaking in a new series called Cow Corner Chronicles.
The 35-year-old added that he tapes the little finger to ensure it remains intact when he plays as the cut finger doesn't fit inside his keeping gloves.
"It is slightly difficult in a way because the last finger doesn't fit in the wicket-keeping gloves. So I tape it down the gloves so that it stays jointed. I don't know how it would've been if I had all the fingers, but when I look back, it feels good to represent India as a wicketkeeper with nine fingers," Parthiv added.
Parthiv has played 25 Tests and 38 ODIs for India and was part of India's playing XI in Johannesburg Test win on the 2017-18 tour to South Africa in his last international appearance.
He was part of India's Test squad during their historic series win in Australia in 2018-19. Parthiv didn't play a single Test in that series.