Star India batter Rajat Patidar might step into the Test arena during India’s upcoming match against England in Visakhapatnam. His debut chance came in the absence of Virat Kohli, who was unavailable for the initial two matches.
Patidar, recovering from an Achilles injury that kept him out for most of 2023, underwent surgery in London and faced a challenging recovery period. Acknowledging the difficulty of the situation, he shared, “Being injured is always a difficult time for any player. I was just thinking that I cannot change my recovery time now. So, I just accepted this fact and was just focusing on what I could do at the time.”
Having been a consistent presence in the Indian Premier League (IPL), Patidar, a part of Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) alongside Virat Kohli, highlighted that he hadn’t interacted much with India captain Rohit Sharma in the past. However, on this tour, he had the opportunity to discuss batting with Rohit Sharma, who provided valuable insights from his experience in the nets. Patidar expressed how these interactions with senior players boosted his confidence.
“I have played with a lot of Indian players on the domestic circuit. I had been talking to Rahul (Dravid), sir, since the last two series. I hadn’t spoken with Rohit Bhai too much before, but on this tour, I got to speak with him about batting. He shared his experience on the net. All this has increased my confidence,” he said.
Rajat Patidar speaks about his possible Test debut
Known for his performances on the domestic circuit, Patidar made his ODI debut against South Africa in December. Despite this, his primary ambition has always been to represent India in Test cricket. Active in the Indian domestic scene for almost a decade, he debuted for Madhya Pradesh in 2015.
He has accumulated 4000 runs in 55 matches with an impressive average of 45.97, including 12 centuries and 22 half-centuries. Patidar shared his joy about receiving the test call-up after overcoming his injury setback, stating, “To get my first test call-up after the injury is something that makes me very happy. My first dream was always to represent India in Test cricket. I was playing matches for India A when I got that call, and it felt great.”
