Archie Karas, the Greek-American, is known as the greatest gambler ever. By the end of his winning streak, he had won a whopping 40 million dollars. Logically, a game of gambling can’t be compared to cricket. It is also a sport that requires a fair amount of skill. But while watching Rajat Patidar wield his willow, it feels as if he has the gambling instincts ingrained in his cricketing system. The calculated risks he takes by manufacturing room against spinners give ample proof of his mindset.
More importantly, Patidar has the required talent and expertise to execute his skills more often than not. For instance, in the 2024 IPL, while playing for RCB, Patidar aggregated 295 runs at an average of 107.5 and strike-rate of 197.24 against spin. He smashed as many as 22 sixes versus spin in that tournament, with most of those hits coming on the back of Patidar making room and hitting it across the line or over covers. Once more, it gives an inkling that Patidar is ready to gamble in order to achieve success.
This season, Patidar has something else to ponder about, and that is leading the RCB franchise. So, can Patidar juggle leadership duties with his batting? Will the extra responsibility put pressure on Patidar and force him to play more percentage cricket? The evidence so far tells us that he will continue to adhere to his risk-taking approach.
In the recently concluded Syed Mushtaq Ali trophy, Patidar accumulated 428 runs at a whopping strike-rate of 186.08 for Madhya Pradesh. He also put on creditable performances in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, with his 132 against the Mohammed Shami-led Bengal pace attack turning out to be the cornerstone. In summary, leading the side didn’t seem to affect Patidar’s batting. Instead, it seemed to galvanise him to perform better as seen by how he didn’t just shepherd Madhya Pradesh’s innings in the summit clash of the domestic T20 competition but also powered them to a competitive score.
Just scratch the surface further and you will notice that Patidar has always had unremitting self-belief. A few years ago, he had to navigate a tricky phase in the IPL. During the first leg of the 2021 IPL, Patidar batted on some tricky decks where it wasn’t easy to crack strokes on the up and through the line. When the tournament resumed after a brief break, the RCB think-tank decided to look beyond him.
Patidar wasn’t picked in the subsequent auction either. He then returned to the RCB franchise only as a replacement for the injured Luvnith Sisodia. Even then, he wasn’t guaranteed a spot in the side. Ultimately, RCB picked Patidar against Rajasthan Royals. In their very next match, Patidar crunched a half-century and he hasn’t looked back since. That he scored all those runs despite suffering from an Achilles’ injury is a testament to his willpower.
“I played four matches in Chennai,” he had told RevSportz. “I did decently, because the pitches in Chennai were suited for low-scoring matches. (Next) half of the IPL was in Dubai, where I have not got a chance. After that they told me they would pick me in the auction, then they didn’t. Obviously, I felt bad about it. But it is okay, you can’t change things which aren’t in your hands.
“I felt I could score and come back because I have self-belief. After that, I was called back into RCB as a replacement. When I went there, on the first day, the coach told me, ‘It is difficult to give you a chance, because you’re a back-up player. If anybody gets injured, then only you can have a chance. They have given me a clear message.
“I was like I’m here to play, and not here to sit or something like that. At that time, I felt bad. For one or two days, I didn’t take my kitbag to the ground. I was just doing my running, because on the first day you’re saying like you won’t be given a chance over here. Then I said, ‘I’m here, I have to do something.’ So, I started batting. The whole scenario changed. After seven matches, they wanted me to play, as they didn’t have any back-up players in the top order. From there, I started and scored for the team and felt very good.”
Even during his formative years, Patidar was known for his daredevil batting. Lest we forget, a young Patidar took on Shami in a Vijay Hazare Trophy game eons ago. Yes, on occasions, Patidar might try one shot too many and lose his wicket. But he is just the kind of batter that the opposition would be wary of as he can stitch together game-breaking knocks.
Patidar is truly the Alpha Risk-Taker with the willow in hand. Come March 22, all one can visualise is Patidar trying to make room in order to counter-attack KKR’s mainstay Varun Chakaravarthy.