Rajat Patidar has replaced Virat Kohli in the India squad for the first two Tests against England. The 30-year-old Madhya Pradesh batter’s call-up comes after the senior pro made himself unavailable for the first two Tests owing to personal reasons.
Patidar has been in scintillating form lately, having scored 151 against England Lions in Ahmedabad last week. He also crafted 111 in the warm-up fixture against the Lions and was on tour to South Africa in late 2023 with the A side.
Patidar’s selection means that India aren’t reverting to type by going back to Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane at the moment, and that Mumbai run-machine Sarfaraz Khan will have to wait a little longer for his chance despite knocking at the selectors’ door vigorously.
Earlier today, Rinku Singh was added to the India A squad for the second multi-day match against England Lions, paving the way for Patidar’s addition to the senior men’s side.
Check out the first-class cricket record of Rajat Patidar, who has been brought in as the replacement for Virat Kohli 🤩#INDvsENG #RajatPatidar #ViratKohli #Hyderabad pic.twitter.com/9cuazTw9hl
— OneCricket (@OneCricketApp) January 24, 2024
