"Enjoy watching Virat Kohli bat, Test Call-up the Happiest Moment of My Life": Rajat Patidar

Patidar in place of Virat Kohli -

After getting his first Test call-up last month, India batsman Rajat Patidar is delighted to receive such an honour from BCCI. Following Virat Kohli's withdrawal from the team, claiming personal reasons, Patidar was picked as the team's substitute for the first 2 Test matches. Although Patidar was left out of the playing eleven for India's first Test, which ended in a 28-run defeat in Hyderabad last month, there have been further discussions about his possible inclusion in the team for the 2nd Test, which begins in Vizag on Friday. In a conversation with the BCCI on the eve of the second Test, Patidar shared his reflections on his experience.

"Getting my first Test call up soon after my recovery has to be my happiest moment. It was my dream to represent my country in Test cricket. It felt very good to get that call. I was playing India A matches and felt very good on getting that call,"
~Patidar said in a video uploaded by BCCI.

Patidar further acknowledged that he likes to watch Virat play cricket, particularly his footwork and body language. In addition, Patidar's partner in the Indian Premier League (IPL) with the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) is the 35-year-old great batter.

"I always observe his batting from the back of the nets. Especially his footwork and body movement while batting. I enjoy his batting.  I want to add on those skills. It is not easy but I am relentlessly after it,"
~he added

In December of last year, Patidar made his debut for India in a One-Day International (ODI) against South Africa. He impressed with his strokeplay, scoring 22 runs in 16 balls.

Patidar's excellent form in Domestic and FC cricket -

Patidar has been in excellent form in the three unofficial Tests that are now taking place against the England Lions alongside the bilateral series between the senior teams of India and England. He scored 111 in the first game and 151 and 4 in the second and third.

In the domestic circuit, Patidar has excelled for India, particularly in first-class cricket. He has amassed 4,000 runs at an average of 45.97, with 12 hundreds and 22 fifties in 93 innings, while playing for Madhya Pradesh in 55 FC matches. His highest score is 196.

In addition, Patidar contributed significantly to MP's historic Ranji Trophy victory in 2021–2022—scoring 658 runs at an average of 53.15 in six games.

In 9 innings, he amassed 2 hundreds and 5 fifties, making him the second-highest run scorer in the competition behind Sarfaraz Khan (982 runs in six matches), who has also been picked for the second Test in place of KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja.

India's Squad for 2nd Test -

Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shreyas Iyer, KS Bharat (WK), Dhruv Jurel (WK), Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohd. Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah (VC), Avesh Khan, Rajat Patidar, Sarfaraz Khan, Washington Sundar, Sourabh Kumar.