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Harshal Patel returns to Gujarat after 14 years with Haryana, all set to join Gujarat’s pre-season camp ahead of the Ranji Trophy.
Harshal Patel will now play for Gujarat (Picture credit: AP)
Star India medium-pacer Harshal Patel has returned to Gujarat after spending 14 years with Haryana, according to a report in ESPNCricinfo, with the Ranji Trophy all set to begin next month. After Jayant Yadav’s exit, Harshal’s exit would be another major blow for Haryana this domestic season.
With the paperwork done, Harshal is all set to join Gujarat’s pre-season camp, starting later this month with a tri-series against fellow state sides Baroda and Saurashtra.
Harshal’s move marks a homecoming, born in Gujarat, he had made his List A debut for the state in 2008-09 after a standout Under-19 season.
Harshal shifted to Haryana after the 2010 Under-19 World Cup, having struggled to break through further in Gujarat’s setup.
Harshal made his first-class debut for Haryana in 2011-12 and went on to become a mainstay for them across formats.
Overall, Harshal has 246 wickets from 74 first-class games at an average of 24, including 12 five-fors.
“Right from 2010-11 since my Under-19 days, almost the entirety of my professional career has been with Haryana, I owe a lot to them. If that move to Haryana as an 18-year-old hadn’t worked out for me I would have probably moved to the USA and not played cricket in India,” Harshal said while speaking to ESPNCricinfo.
Harshal splits his time between Ahmedabad, where he resides and the USA, where he has extended family.
“It was getting difficult for me to be away from the family for long periods of time. So I wanted to come back and see if I could finish my career here. Glad I got an opportunity to do that,” Harshal said.
Another side had shown interest in the star India pacer, but he preferred to check Gujarat’s willingness before making a decision.
“I first asked Anil Patel [secretary, Gujarat Cricket Association] and he was gracious enough to say, ‘this is your home, welcome back.’ Having come back, I’m open to play everything and anything that the team wants me to play,” Harshal said.
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