3 reasons why Rajat Patidar could be the next big thing in Indian cricket
Rajat Patidar became India's latest debutant when he was given the Test cap in the second Test against England in Visakhapatnam on Friday.
Patidar, who has had to bide his time to step out in the whites for India, made it to the squad after Virat Kohli pulled out of the first two Tests owing to personal reasons, which opened the door for his debut.
Patidar, who has had a striking last couple of seasons in the Ranji Trophy, deserves his spot in the Indian team fair and square. He has promised enough for a long time, and although he fell for 32 to Rehan Ahmed in the first innings, one expects him to make it big soon.
In this article, we bring to you three reasons why Rajat Patidar could be the next big thing in Indian cricket.
#1 His first-class average is extraordinary
Patidar, who has a stellar first-class average of 45, promises a lot. He has played in 55 first-class matches so far and scored an even 4000 runs in his career.
Patidar has also scored 12 centuries and 22 half-centuries in his first-class career, which goes to show his penchant for scoring big runs whenever the opportunity arises.
Patidar's highest score in this format of the game is 196, which means that he has been rather unlucky to not have scored a double century yet.
However, with the skill set that he possesses, it is only a matter of time before it turns into reality.
#2 Rajat Patidar can balance all formats well
As per his superb showing in the IPL display, Rajat Patidar can balance all formats of the game well. He made his debut for India in ODIs in Paarl last December against South Africa but is yet to do so in the T20 format.
However, his exploits for the Royal Challengers Bangalore show that he can strike a comforting balance between all formats.
This means that the Madhya Pradesh batter knows when to play extravagant shots and when to rotate the strike with a calm head. This is a vital requirement in the modern-day game.
#3 He is known to possess immense composure
Rajat Patidar, who made his Test debut at the age of 30 on Friday, is known to be a man of immense composure and wisdom. He has had to wait for his turn in Test cricket and has done so without complaining too much.
Patidar, who can play both spin and pace equally well, knows that staying calm and relaxed is the only way to achieve success in the hectic world of modern-day cricket.
If Patidar can maintain such a good mental equilibrium throughout his career, he will be guaranteed to achieve a lot of success.