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Royal Rajat Patidar on view delights fans

April 26, 2024
Bharath Ramaraj
PC – BCCI. Patidar was in fine form

After more than 700 hours without a win, the Royal Challengers Bengaluru emerged victorious against the formidable Sunrisers Hyderabad, and that too at SRH’s own backyard. When Jaydev Unadkat dug out a yorker for a single to complete the formalities for the game, the caverns of the mind were filled with all those fond memories of the kind of enthusiasm shown by thousands of RCB fans at their home ground.

Even when RCB were losing one game after another this season, the fans outside the Chinnaswamy Stadium expressed confidence that their beloved franchise would come out on top. One such small conversation went in this manner. “What do you think of the young pace sensation, Mayanak Yadav and Naveen-ul-Haq? LSG also have some fine power-hitters like Nicholas Pooran and Marcus Stoinis too.” The reply from a group of supporters was quick too. “They are all waste (players). Our Kohli will smash them.” 

RCB went on to lose that game and Mayank scorched the Chinnaswamy Stadium with rapid pace and extra bounce. Although I suspect the same group of fans would have said something similar if I had caught up with them at the end of the game. It just gives an inkling of RCB’s loyal fan base. Although, a part of their loyalty is due to the presence of Kohli in the side. 

Kohli himself accumulated a fifty versus SRH, even though his strike rate came under some scrutiny. There was someone else who also aggregated a fifty and made a bigger impact on the just-concluded game —  Rajat Patidar. Every time Patidar takes guard, there is a sense of anticipation. He could crack a blistering fifty or get out first ball for a zero. Patidar is a very instinctive batter, who can thrill the senses or be a source of disappointment. Thankfully for RCB, it turned out to be the former, with Patidar smacking four sixes in a row while facing the leg-spinner, Mayank Markande.

To illustrate the above-mentioned point, eons ago, Madhya Pradesh were taking on Bengal in a List A game. With Ashok Dinda and Mohammed Shami in their ranks, Bengal had a fine pace attack. But it didn’t seem to matter for Patidar as Shami, in particular, came in for some punishment as he raced to a fifty. When a 22-year-old cricketer has a bit of time on his hands against a couple of quicks who have represented India, it is safe to conclude that the player has some pedigree. 

And then there was a Ranji Trophy game where Dinda once again was at the receiving end of Patidar’s array of shots. For some reason, Dinda wanted to test Patidar with a barrage of short deliveries. Every single time Dinda banged it short, he was met with a fitting riposte: Patidar went back and then across in a flash and the ball invariably scurried away to the boundary hoardings. 

Dinda wasn’t done yet as he went round the wicket and ushered in a short delivery at waspish pace. There were two fielders waiting in the deep for Patidar to fall into a trap.  Just that Patidar tailored the gap in the field with needlepoint precision. It was an exhibition of debonair pulls. Some seasons later, in IPL 2022, Patidar showcased his skill-set to a wider audience. 

Since then, Patidar has gone on to play for India, in the Test series versus England. Unfortunately, Patidar came a cropper, averaging about 10. Just scratch the surface and you will notice his strike rate in the series was a mere 38. He got out to some curious dismissals and rarely played his natural game. That is the other side of Rajat Patidar, the batter. On a given day, he looks like one of the best batters going around in the country. The very next day, he could frustrate a cricket connoisseur. 

Patidar may not get another opportunity to play for India. But he is still one of the mainstays of the RCB batting unit. And the think-tank would be hoping for more of the swashbuckling version rather than someone with cobwebs in his mind.