The 30-year-old batter Rajat Patidar has been called to the Indian squad to replace the Indian star batter Virat Kohli for the first two tests of the England series.
Virat Kohli’s replacement for England Tests
The team management has included Rajat Patidar in the squad for the first two tests in England’s India tour in 2024.
The BCCI selection committee led by Ajit Agarkar has concluded the discussions and rumors about Virat Kohli’s replacement for the home tour. Virat Kohli will be missing the first two matches in Hyderabad and Vishakapatnam.
While BCCI requested the fans to respect Kohli’s privacy, they revealed that a replacement will be announced soon. Cheteshwar Pujara, Rajat Patidar, Sarfaraz Khan, and Rinku Singh are the players of the choices.
The Madhya Pradesh right-handed batter was spotted in the BCCI annual awards, with the rest of the squad in Hyderabad. He may be unlikely to get a chance to bat on Thursday as Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul are set to bat in the middle-order.
Patidar was like-mindedly selected by the committee members which indicates the well-performed Sarfaraz Khan in the domestic circuit will have to wait for his maiden call-up.
Patidar was impressive with the bat during the last three innings for India A against England Lions. He smashed two centuries with a high score of 151 in the last four-day game.
He was sidelined for eight months due to the injury he sustained in his heels which required surgery. He got his India cap during the third ODI match of India’s South Africa tour.
Patidar is well known for his ability to score quickly in the middle order. During the Vijay Hazare Trophy last year, he scored 315 runs in six innings with an average of 52.50 and a strike rate of 104.30.
He made an average of 46 in 55 first-class matches which shows his prowess in the red-ball format. He was initially part of India’s A squad for the second and third four-day matches against England Lions. Bur After Kohli’s unavailability made the selection committee add him to the Test team.
India and England will be playing their first match starting on January 25 at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium.
