As a result of Virat Kohli’s absence from the first two Test matches, India has decided to include Rajat Patidar in their roster. The middle-order batsman has already established a connection with the Indian team in Hyderabad, and he even made an appearance at the BCCI Annual Awards on Tuesday evening.
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Following Kohli’s request for a break at the beginning of the first two Tests, which he justified by citing personal reasons, all eyes were on the selection committee to determine who they would name as a replacement. Although Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, and KL Rahul will be batting in the middle order for India in the first test, there was no other batsman in the group who could serve as a backup in the event of an injury at the eleventh hour or as a substitution for a player who had suffered a concussion.
It is common knowledge that Patidar, who had been sidelined for almost eight months to recover from an injury, was the player that the Indian team management and selectors unanimously decided to go with. The Madhya Pradesh hitter, who is known for his temperament, is accustomed to playing at No. 4, and in the domestic circuit, he comes across as an assertive batter who likes to put pressure on bowlers from the very beginning of the game.
Moreover, Patidar has been selected for the Test team as a result of his 151-run performance for India ‘A’ in the match against England Lions that took place the previous week. Abhimanyu Easwaran was a member of the team that travelled to South Africa; nevertheless, there are still concerns over him because he has not scored in any of the critical knockout games that have taken place in the Ranji Trophy.
Because of the inclusion of Patidar, India will not be able to consider Cheteshwar Pujara, who began the Ranji Trophy with a century and a half. Additionally, as a result of Patidar’s inclusion in the national squad, the selectors have decided to add Rinku Singh in the India ‘A’ squad as his substitute.