‘Perfect replacement’ – Fans react as Rajat Patidar named replacement after Virat Kohli pulls out of first two Tests against England

According to sources, Team India has called up star cricketer Rajat Patidar, with Virat Kohli opting to miss the first two Tests against England due to personal reasons. Notably, the middle-order batsman has already joined the Indian team in Hyderabad and attended the Indian Cricket Board Annual Awards on Tuesday evening.

It seems that the former India skipper’s absence prompted the selection committee to name a replacement, and Rajat Patidar emerged as the best choice of the team management and selectors. Meanwhile, Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, and KL Rahul form India’s middle order in the first Test. However, the 30-year-old cricketer sets out to provide an additional option and cover in case of injuries or the need in the Test series against England, which is set to start on January 25 in Hyderabad.

The right-handed batter, known for his temperament and great batting, returns after recovering from an injury that kept him out for nearly 8 months. In addition, the Indore-born cricketer gained prominence with an outstanding performance in the IPL 2022, scoring 333 runs in seven innings at an impressive average of 55.50 and a strike rate of 152.75. Moreover, the dashing batter’s memorable century against the Lucknow Super Giants in the Eliminator played a pivotal role in Royal Challengers Bangalore’s victory.

Rajat Patidar made his one-day debut in the third ODI against South Africa

The 30-year-old Rajat Patidar made his ODI debut in the third ODI against South Africa in Boland Park in Paarl and opened the innings alongside Sai Sudharsan and contributed 22 runs off 16 deliveries, which was a brisk innings featuring three boundaries and a maximum. However, despite his first appearance as an opener, if given the nod for his Test debut in the upcoming clash against England in Hyderabad, Patidar is likely to take up a position in the middle order.

India Squad for first two Tests vs England: Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rajat Patidar (replaces Virat Kohli), Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (WK), KS Bharat (WK), Dhruv Jurel (WK), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohd. Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah (VC), Avesh Khan.

Here’s how the fans reacted to this news: