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Who Is Smit Patel, Unmukt Chand's U-19 IND Teammate Currently Playing For USA?

Smit Patel for IND U-19 (X.com)Smit Patel for IND U-19 (X.com)

Former Gujarat player Smit Patel was once heralded as a potential answer to India’s red-ball wicketkeeping dilemma during the twilight years of MS Dhoni’s playing career. Patel, who made his Ranji Trophy debut for Gujarat in November 2012, played 55 first-class matches up until the next eight seasons to tally over 3,000 runs at a splendid average of nearly 40.

Notably, it was during August 2012 that the wicketkeeping prodigy first shot himself to unprecedented prominence. Up against Australia at Townsville in the final of the Under-19 World Cup, Smit Patel shared an unbroken 130-run partnership with captain and centurion Unmukt Chand to guide the ‘Boys in Blue’ to a historic victory.

As of now, the cricketer is gracing the USA colors as they bid for a spot in the 2027 Men’s World Cup race. Chronicling Patel’s journey after his scintillating 70-run knock against Canada, here at OneCricket, we take a deeper look into his career profile and cricketing origins.

Smit Patel's Life So Far

Smit Patel was born in Gujarat on May 16, 1993. At a young age itself, the cricketer displayed tremendous potential and was picked for India’s Under-19 World Cup 2012 squad under the leadership of Unmukt Chand. In the final match of the tournament, Patel cracked 62 unbeaten runs from 84 balls to take India home with 2.2 overs and six wickets to spare.

Later that year, the then-19-year-old made his Ranji Trophy debut through Gujarat with a match against Madhya Pradesh in Indore. Despite maintaining a prolific record with the bat in first-class cricket, Smit Patel was often overlooked for a national call-up. Moreover, Patel also never landed an IPL contract despite holding a decent track record in white-ball cricket.

Under the remit of the BCCI, he retired from Indian cricket in mid-2021 and soon relocated to USA for fresh opportunities. A CPL stint with Barbados Royals and an MLC stint with San Francisco Unicorns was followed by a national call-up for USA on August 13, 2024 for a Cricket World Cup League 2 match against Canada.

Smit Patel celebrated the occasion with a match-winning 63 on debut, and cracked 70 more runs from 84 balls against the same opponents the following week at Rotterdam.

Aged 31, it remains to be seen if Patel can utilize his newfound opportunity with the USA for furnishing his caliber and becoming a productive top-order international batter, as foreseen by many across India’s cricketing pantheon.