IND vs ENG: ‘Happiest moment for me’ – Likely debutant Rajat Patidar opens up on maiden Test call-up

Known to be an aggressive top-order batter, Rajat Patidar is in line to make his Test debut against England in the second Test in Vizag, starting on Friday. Speaking exclusively to the BCCI in a video chat, Rajat detailed how he reacted to his maiden India Test call-up and patiently waited his turn while recovering from the injury.

With KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja sidelined with injuries and Virat Kohli out of contention for the second Test due to personal reasons, India will play either Rajat Patidar or Sarfaraz Khan in the middle order in the Vizag game.

With Patidar leading the race to replace KL in the XI, he admitted being super elated upon receiving a maiden call-up but first addressed how he dealt with his injury that kept him away from the game for some time.

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"Whenever a player gets injured, it becomes difficult for him. I told myself that I cannot change my recovery time, kept myself in the present and accepted it. Returning from injury, getting my first Test call-up is the happiest moment for me, because it was my dream to play Tests for India. I received the call while playing for India A," Patidar said while speaking in a video posted by BCCI.

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Contrary to how the narrative of a Test batter goes, Rajat is attacking in his approach, and with head coach Rahul Dravid in the nets, he is working on putting his best foot forward if provided with a chance in the Test side.

“My batting style is aggressive, and have played like this since my domestic cricket days. This is my habit; it is about preparing well. How opponents bowl, their bowlers, field placements and how players like Rohit tackle it, I try to add it into my game. That is my only focus," Patidar added.

Taking inspiration from the great one

Teammates with veteran cricketer Virat Kohli at the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL, Rajat talked highly of him, saying Virat inspires him in countless ways and that he loves watching the India great bat.

"I always observe Virat Bhai's batting from the back of the nets - especially his footwork and body movements while batting - I enjoy watching him bat a lot". I try to add it to my game," Patidar added.

Meanwhile, England leads the five-match series 1-0. In Hyderabad, England won the game by 28 runs despite trailing by 190 runs in the first innings. A 196 by Ollie Pope and seven wickets by debutant Tom Hartley in the second innings saw the visitors deal the first punch.