The old U19 player, Smit Patel has cited mammoth competition in the Indian setup for the reason to shifting to cricket in the USA
Although India has over the years given birth to a raft of extremely talented and worldclass cricketers, not everyone has been able to cut the bill at the international level. With strings of players proving their mettle at the domestic circuit every year, you need to have a special innate skill set to be able to catch the eye of the BCCI.
One such player who failed to unlock his true potential despite coming hot out of the blocks in the early years of his career is Smit Patel. A starlet, Patel looked touted to stamp his authority on Indian cricket after impressing at the U19 World Cup.
Part of the country’s winning squad in the U19 World Cup, Patel unfortunately failed to ever find a place in the senior Indian setup. Despite impressive numbers, Patel was kept on the sidelines as he scoured of a role in the wicket-keeping docket.
Smit Patel To Play In USA
A lack of opportunities and inability to make his way into the Indian setup has seen the 28 year old finally pack his bags up. Announcing his retirement from cricket of all forms which come under the BCCI’s jurisdiction, Patel said he had decided to was best for him to shift base to USA.
Patel cited extreme competition in India as a reason for being unable to make it into the echelons of Indian cricket. With his family settled in US since the last twelve years, Smit decided to was best for him to switch to greener pastures.
In an interaction with ESPNcricinfo, Patel informed of his move as he went onto say, “All my paperwork with the BCCI is complete. I’ve sent in my retirement letter. So the India chapter of my cricket career is over. If I return, it’ll only be to train here for a month or so every year when it’s snowing back in the US.”
“It’s been a different sort of a journey. Starting with the highs of the Under-19 World Cup, then the frustration of not finding a place as a wicketkeeper and then moving four teams [Gujarat, Tripura, Goa and Baroda] within India for opportunities,” he said as he spoke about his career in India.
Smit Patel To Play In CPL 2021
Patel’s talent meanwhile has not gone unnoticed in the Caribbean though. The right-handed batsman who has played 55 First-Class matches in India and has 3,728 runs was recently roped in by Barbados Tridents for the 2021 instalment of the Caribbean Premier League.
Smit has also gone onto sign a two-year contract with a Major League Cricket franchise in the US.
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