IND vs ENG, 2nd Test: Rajat Patidar Wants to Learn More Skills from Virat Kohli

India vs England Second Test: Madhya Pradesh batter Rajat Patidar might be handed his debut against England in the 2nd Test match in Vishakhapatnam. Patidar has already debuted in the One Day Internationals formats for India and has expressed that he is excited to find out if he will play his first match in the whites on 2nd February, Friday.

Speaking before the match, Patidar said that getting ready for the first Test call was so special. The batter had been injured for a major part of the 2023 season after suffering an Achilles Heel injury. Rajat Patidar missed the IPL, which came as a big blow for the RCB franchise.

Not Cheteshwar Pujara, Rajat Patidar replaces the Virat Kohli for first two Tests vs England

“Getting my first Test call-up soon after my recovery has to be my happiest moment. It is my dream to represent my country in Test cricket. It felt very good to get that call. I was playing India A matches and it felt really good,” Rajat Patidar said in a BCCI interview.

Bouncing back after injury 👏
Emotions on maiden Test call-up ✨
Learnings from Captain @ImRo45 & @imVkohli 🙌

In conversation with @rrjjt_01 ahead of the 2nd #INDvENG Test 👌👌#TeamIndia | @IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/KU4FRyUuW2

— BCCI (@BCCI) February 1, 2024

The batter spoke about being around the India camp and said that he had been learning skills from Rahul Dravid and Rohit Sharma.

“I have played a lot of matches in the domestic circuit with some of the Indian players. I have been interacting with Rahul Dravid sir since the last 2 series. I have not spoken to Rohit Sharma a lot but on this tour, I have listened to him talk about how to bat in different conditions. That gives me a lot of confidence,” Patidar said.

Marked as an aggressive batter by trade, Patidar said that he was going to trust his natural game and that he was passing on some tricks from team India captain Rohit Sharma.

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“I have an aggressive batting style and have batted like this since my domestic cricket debut. I have a habit of playing like that and have not changed a lot of things. I am learning how to tackle field placements from Rohit Sharma,” Rajat Patidar added.

When asked about learning cricket from the iconic batter Virat Kohli, the batter said that there was a lot to learn by watching him. He revealed that whenever Kohli bats in the nets, he observes everything Kohli does and tries to learn his techniques.

“Whenever Virat Kohli bats in the nets, I stand behind him and watch his movements. Especially his footwork and body movement against the balls pitched up to him, that I am trying to add relentlessly,” Patidar concluded.