He may not have set the stage on fire in the three Tests he has played so far, but Madhya Pradesh batter Rajat Patidar will reportedly make the cut in the playing XI for the fifth and final India vs England Test in Dharamsala starting March 7, 2024. (More Cricket News)
The continued unavailability of KL Rahul means that a middle-order spot is to be decided between Patidar and Karnataka top-order batter Devdutt Padikkal, but according to an Indian Express report, the team management is reposing its faith in the 30-year-old Patidar.
“The team wants Patidar to get one more chance as they feel Patidar has talent and it’s a matter of time before he gets runs. As India has already won the series, the team wants to try him out one more time instead of giving a debut to Devdutt Padikkal,” the report quoted a source as saying.
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If so, Padikkal will have to wait for his Test debut. The 23-year-old southpaw played two T20Is in 2021 against Sri Lanka, and has not been in India colours since.
Patidar, on the other hand, has played the second, third and fourth Test matches in the ongoing five-match series against England and only managed scores of 32, 9, 5, 0, 17 and 0. The Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) batter was named in the Test squad as a replacement for middle-order mainstay Virat Kohli, who has taken a break due to personal reasons.
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KL Rahul's quadricep injury led to Patidar making his debut in the second Test at Visakhapatnam, and had Rahul been fully fit for the Dharamsala Test, Patidar would have been released from the India squad to represent Madhya Pradesh in their Ranji Trophy semi-final against Vidarbha.
India's updated squad for fifth Test: Rohit Sharma (C), Jasprit Bumrah (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Rajat Patidar, Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel (WK), KS Bharat (WK), Devdutt Padikkal, R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohd. Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Akash Deep.
After winning the fourth Test in Ranchi by five wickets, India have clinched the series 3-1.
Meanwhile, Patidar's former RCB teammate AB de Villiers has thrown his weight behind the batter. “Rajat Patidar not having the series of a lifetime or one to remember. But the good thing about this Indian team and the culture is that you will survive in that side because of the great cricket they are playing and the results coming their way,” de Villiers said on his YouTube channel.
“If Patidar’s attitude is catchy and if he is a likable character in the dressing room, Rohit and the selection panel will have the ability to say, ‘Hold on, we do believe this guy has a future and we see him as a part of the team moving forward. Even though he hasn’t been scoring runs, let’s give him a longer run’,” de Villiers added.
