Could this be the end of Rajat Patidar’s Test aspirations? After disappointment in Vizag, the batter from Madhya Pradesh was dismissed for a duck in the second innings of the India vs England 3rd Test. Having scored just five runs in the first inning, Patidar went back without troubling the scorers in the second inning.
The prolific domestic batter had scored two centuries in the India A vs England Lions series and earned himself a maiden India call-up. Luck proved to be on his side, and in the absence of Virat Kohli and KL Rahul, the right-handed batter was given the opportunity to don the Indian cap in Vizag.
Rajat Patidar impressed with a 72-ball 32 in his first outing in Test cricket. However, in his next three innings, he scored just 14 runs. His lean patch, along with Shubman Gill and Sarfaraz Khan’s positive returns, could mean that he’ll be the one who’s left out when KL Rahul eventually returns.
At 30 years old, Rajat Patidar isn’t getting young either, and with a young crop of talent in Gill, Sarfaraz, Sai Sudharsan, and Devdutt Padikkal available, this duck could be the end of his Test career.
Another contributing factor why the Indian management could look ahead of him is the lack of a left-hander in the middle. With Rishabh Pant out, India does not have a southpaw in their middle order.
If KL Rahul doesn’t recover in time for the fourth Test, Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid could experiment and bring in Padikkal for Patidar to tackle left-arm spinner Tom Hartley and leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed.
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