Coach hails city lad Kathan Patel's selection in U-16 NCA camp

Dedication and ability to play according to match situations are the strong points of Kathan Patel, which helped him in getting selected for the U-16 camp at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore, Gujarat U-16 coach Hitesh Majmudar said today.
"Kathan is a dedicated cricketer who has developed into a matured player from his U-14 days. He bats according to match situation and was also the highest run-getter in the West Zone U-16 Vijay Merchant tourney organised by BCCI," Majmudar told PTI.
Kathan, a city-based boy is part of the 30 under-16 players selected by BCCI for higher training.
The decision to include Kathan Patel in the camp, which began today and runs till June 1, was taken by the All India Junior Selection Committee at a meeting held in Delhi on April 7, Gujarat Cricket Association (GCA) Secretary Rajesh Patel informed through a press statement.

In the 2012-13 West Zone U-16 Vijay Merchant tourney, Kathan scored two centuries (against Baroda and Saurashtra) and two half-centuries (against Mumbai and Maharashtra) to emerge as the highest run-getter with a tally of 398 runs in five innings in four matches.
Kathan's father, Dinesh Patel said that his son's consistent performance in the last season and regular practice has reaped him good rewards.

"He (Kathan) likes the technique of Rahul Dravid and studies it a lot," his father said.
Majmudar further said that he was a good off-spinner also and took seven wickets last season apart from being a reliable fielder.

A stint at the NCA, which has state-of-the-art technology, will help him polish his skills and give him the much-required exposure, his coach said.