Former India captain Sourav Ganguly, under whom Parthiv Patel made his international debut, has said that the former wicketkeeper-batsman has always a team man and a brilliant ambassador for Indian cricket.

Patel, who played 25 Tests, 38 ODIs and two T20Is for India, on Wednesday announced his retirement from all forms of cricket. He had made his international debut at the age of 17 in an away Test series against England in 2002. A gritty left-handed batsman, he scored six Test fifties, which included a fine 69-run knock against Pakistan in Rawalpindi while opening the batting.