Rajat Patidar is the BCCI’s choice to start in place of Virat Kohli in the first two test series matches. The Indian team has given the outstanding player from RCB an opportunity ahead of numerous elite players.
Rajat Patidar will take Virat Kohli‘s position for the first two games of the next Test series, according to the BCCI. The India XI includes the RCB player above players like Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwara Pujara.
Rajat Patidar, known for his batting skills and services to local cricket, has been tasked with filling Kohli’s vacated place.
Patidar has been in outstanding form recently, scoring 151 against the England Lions in Ahmedabad just last week. In addition, he made a huge contribution in the warm-up game against the Lions, scoring 111. Patidar also took part in the A side’s trip to South Africa late last year, demonstrating his consistency and talent.
The right-handed hitter, who made his international debut in an ODI against South Africa in Paarl last December as an opener, is anticipated to play in the middle of the order in future Tests. Despite his recent international debut, Patidar’s prolific run-scoring and flexibility in various batting positions make him an important asset for Team India.
The Hindustan Times reported that the selection committee unanimously decided on Patidar, meaning they didn’t want to give Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwara Pujara any more opportunities. Meanwhile, Sarfaraz Khan, who has recently become a star on the domestic circuit, will have to wait for his first call-up to the Indian team.
Virat Kohli has chosen to skip the opening two Test matches of the five-match series due to “personal reasons,” the BCCI said on Monday.
“During this period, the BCCI asks the public and media to respect Virat Kohli’s privacy and to avoid making assumptions about the nature of his personal reasons. The primary objective should continue to be to assist the Indian cricket team as they take on the forthcoming Test series difficulties,” the premier cricket organization stated.
The squads for England and India:
Ben Stokes (captain), James Anderson, Rehan Ahmed, Gus Atkinson, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Foakes (wk), Dan Lawrence, Tom Hartley, Jack Leach, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Joe Root, and Mark Wood are the members of the England Test team.
India’s test team (for the initial two games):
Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, KS Bharat (wk), Dhruv Jurel (wk), R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah (vc), Avesh Khan, and Rajat Patidar are the players who make up the captain Rohit Sharma.
