The uncapped Indian batter, Rajat Patidar, shared insights into his learning experience from seasoned players like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli as he prepares for the upcoming second Test between India and England, set to commence tomorrow in Visakhapatnam.
“I closely observe how Rohit bhai handles the field positions and strive to incorporate these lessons into my own game. That’s my primary focus. I consistently watch Virat Kohli’s batting from behind the nets, paying particular attention to his footwork and body movements. I find great pleasure in observing his batting, and my goal is to integrate those skills into my game. It’s a challenging task, but I am committed to it,” Patidar shared in an interview with BCCI.tv.
Patidar received his call-up into the squad for the ongoing series against England, after Virat Kohli, the star batter, announced his unavailability for the first two Tests due to personal reasons. He shared his views on his aggressive mindset at the crease.
“I have an aggressive batting style and have batted like this since my domestic cricket. It’s all about how you prepare. It has become a habit now, I study the pattern of opponent bowlers and how they place their field,” he added.
Patidar also faced a considerable setback in 2023 due to the Achilles injury, requiring surgery in London and an extensive recovery period. He acknowledged that it was a challenging time for him.
“Being injured is always a difficult time for any player. I was just thinking that I cannot change my recovery time now. So I just accepted this fact and was just focussing on what I could do at the time,” he said.