"Patidar at Eden. Greatest ever IPL batsman" - Fans react to Rajat Patidar exhilarating batting display during KKR vs RCB IPL 2024 contest
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) batter Rajat Patidar injected life into the mammoth run chase against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in their 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) encounter at the Eden Gardens on Sunday, April 21.
The right-handed batter came into bat at No. 4 following Faf du Plessis' dismissal in the fourth over. RCB had an uphill task after being set a target of 223 by the home side in the afternoon encounter.
RCB had a spirited start to the run chase, but Patidar came to bat when the team were under pressure on the back of the openers' dismissal in quick succession. The flamboyant batter joined forces with Will Jacks, and put on 102 runs for the third wicket, with the latter scoring his maiden IPL fifty.
Patidar took it upon himself to take down KKR's spin unit, particularly the impact sub, Suyash Sharma. He scored 22 runs off the leg-spinner in the 10th over of the innings to boost the run chase.
He soon brought up his fifty as well but was undone by Andre Russell in the 12th over, just a couple of deliveries after Jacks' departure.
Fans praised Patidar's efforts, particularly his onslaught against the spinners. Here are some of the reactions on Twitter:
"Rajat Patidar’s ability to hit the spin is top class," Irfran Pathan tweeted.
"Rajat Patidar can eat spinners in his breakfast, lunch, and dinner," one tweet read.
"Patidar at Eden. greatest ever ipl batsman," another fan remarked.
Rajat Patidar had scored a hundred on his last trip to Eden Gardens in the IPL
Patidar had famously scored an unbeaten 112 off 54 deliveries for RCB in their 2022 IPL Eliminator clash against the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) at the Eden Gardens.
Patidar had a monumental 2022 campaign after coming in as an injury replacement for Luvnith Sisodia midway through the season. He was part of the RCB squad in the 2021 season, but was released after a horrid start to his IPL career.
The hundred at the iconic venue cemented his status as a playing XI member for RCB. The batter unfortunately had to miss the entirety of the 2023 edition due to injury, but reclaimed his spot in the middle order straightaway in the ongoing 2024 season.