‘I Feel Bad That I Missed The Opportunity’: Rajat Patidar Looks Back At India Test Debut

Rajat Patidar said on Saturday that he still rues not making his Test debut count. Patidar, who got to play three Tests against England in February but could score just 63 runs at an average of 10.50, wants to now “re-create” the chance through his performances.

Patidar was selected for the second match in the England series as an injury replacement due to multiple absences in the middle order. At the time, he was coming off a good run in domestic tournaments and was praised for his spin prowess all around the country.

However, due to a combination of luck and poor decision-making, he ended up losing his wicket to three different spinners in the Tests. Devdutt Padikkal replaced him in the fifth Test.

“I enjoyed going to the Test team. But sometimes I feel bad that I missed the opportunity. But it’s alright sometimes things don’t go your way,” Patidar said during a press interaction in Bengaluru on Saturday. “I think acceptance is the key. You have to accept that there will be failure in the cricketing journey. So, it’s important for me to face it and learn from it. I have just accepted it and I am moving forward. It’s a part and parcel of the game. I can re-create the opportunity,” he added.

His Ranji Trophy numbers were again decent this year. The Madhya Pradesh captain scored 427 runs at an average of 53.37 including a hundred and a fifty.

‘My mantra is to play one ball at a time’: Rajat Patidar

Not just Tests, Patidar is also fighting for a spot in India’s T20I set-up, which is arguably his best format. Currently, the Royal Challengers Bengaluru batter is the third-highest run-getter in the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) with 347 runs from nine matches at a brilliant strike rate of 182.6.

“I am just trying to back my strength in the areas where I am going to hit like I was doing in the last couple of years,” Patidar said. “I am just trying to find out the same pattern that I was playing in the IPL. My mantra is to play one ball at a time. I try to put my impact on the opposition for my team. I don’t try to get big scores. I have never paid attention to that,” he said.

Patidar will lead Madhya Pradesh in the SMAT final against Mumbai on Sunday.