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

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has named RCB star Rajat Patidar as the substitute for Virat Kohli in the first two Tests against England. Star batter Kohli has withdrawn from the Test series due to personal reasons.

India call up for Rajat Patidar

Rajat Patidar is a well-known player from IPL. He played for the Royal Challengers Banglore franchise last year. His batting prowess and contributions in domestic cricket have been entrusted with the responsibility of filling the vacant position left by Kohli.

Patidar has been in good form recently, registering an impressive performance of 151 against England Lions in Ahmedabad last week. In addition to this, he scored 111 runs in the warm-up match against the Lions.

Rajat Patidar was also part of the South Africa tour last year with the A side showing his capacity and talent. He made his international debut in an ODI against Proteas last December.

The right-handed batter is expected to bring his skills to the middle-order batter in the upcoming Tests. Despite his recent entry into international cricket, Patidar’s adaptability to different batting positions makes him a valuable asset for Team India.

BCCI respects Virat Kohli’s Decision

On Monday, BCCI released an official statement regarding Virat Kohli missing the initial two-Test series against England for personal reasons. It requests the media and fans to respect his decision and give him personal space.

As cricket fans are waiting for the commencement of the five-match India vs England Test series on January 25 in Hyderabad. All Indian cricket enthusiasts are expecting to India win the series under Rohit Sharma’s leadership.

However, England’s pacer Harry Brook also withdrew from the Test series for personal reasons. Notable pacer Shreyas Iyer got injured last night during the nets in Hyderabad.

India’s updated squad for 1st and 2nd Tests vs England

Rohit Sharma (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Rajat Patidar, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), KS Bharat (wk), Dhruv Jurel (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Avesh Khan