Rajat Patidar added to squad for first two IND vs ENG Tests

With Virat Kohli making himself unavailable for the first two Tests of the five-match series against England due to personal reasons, Rajat Patidar has received his maiden call-up to the red-ball squad. The right-handed batter's selection means Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara remain out of favour, while the wait goes on for Sarfaraz Khan.

The 30-year-old has been in good form of late, evidenced by his 151 against England Lions for India A in the first innings of the opening unofficial Test. The Indore-born cricketer also mustered 111 in the warm-up fixture against the Lions and was part of the squad for the tour to South Africa late last year with the A team.

It's worth noting that Rinku Singh was added to the A squad for the final two matches against the Engliand Lions on Tuesday, which paved the way for the right-handed batter's inclusion in the senior men's squad. He has mustered 4000 runs in 55 first-class fixtures, averaging 45.97 along with 12 centuries, headlined by a high score of 196.

Rajat Patidar made his international debut during the South Africa tour

The 30-year-old made his maiden international appearance in the 3rd ODI in Paarl during India's recent away series against South Africa. He opened the innings with Sai Sudharsan and made 22 off 16 deliveries, laced with three fours and a maximum. However, if handed a debut in the opening Test against England in Hyderabad, he is likely to play in the middle-order.

Patidar came into the limelight after his performance in IPL 2022 when he aggregated 333 runs in seven innings at an average of 55.50, striking at 152.75. He smashed his maiden hundred against the Lucknow Super Giants during the Eliminator of that season, hammering 112 off 54 deliveries to propel the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) to a match-winning total.

Given Kohli's importance to the Indian team, the 30-year-old will have some big shoes to fill if he makes his debut in Hyderabad.