Rajat Patidar was the reason Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) posted a par total against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) which helped them win their first game after six consecutive losses in the ongoing IPL 2024.
On a track where most of the other batters, including Virat Kohli, found it difficult to get going, Patidar blasted five sixes to record the joint second-fastest half-century by a Bangalore hitter. As Bangalore scored 206/7, his 50 off 20 deliveries contrasted sharply with Kohli’s measured 51 off 43 deliveries.
By hitting leggie Mayank Markande for four straight sixes in the eleventh over, Patidar demonstrated his skill at playing spin and helped Bangalore score more runs in the middle overs.
Even though Patidar and Kohli pieced together a 65-run stand that won the game, the former scored the most of the runs. After the powerplay, Kohli faltered, scoring only 19 runs off of 25 deliveries, but the former produced a fluid knock.
Rajat Patidar has a lot of class: Mike Hesson
Rajat Patidar is a class act, according to former Director of Cricket at Royal Challengers Bangalore Mike Hesson, who expressed his hope that the batsman will be given another opportunity to represent India. His remarks followed Patidar’s match-winning 19-ball 50 for Bangalore on Thursday in Hyderabad, giving the Sunrisers Hyderabad a taste of their own medicine.
The remarks from the former RCB executive came after Patidar struggled in his first Test series against England. He scored 32 runs in the first innings of his Visakhapatnam debut, displaying a glimpse of promise, but he was unable to sustain this start in later games.
Patidar scored just 17 runs off of 42 deliveries in the third Test at Ranchi, which was a lackluster performance. He managed only 63 runs in the England Test series.
“Absolute stand-out on the day from both sides. Rajat Patidar, pretty much, hit everything out of the middle. A 19-ball fifty on a surface where pretty much the rest of the batters struggled, particularly after the powerplay, added a whole lot of momentum.
“He has a lot of class. He is a fine player. Although he has not quite clicked for India yet, I hope he gets another opportunity, I am sure he will, he is a fine player,” Hesson said while speaking on JioCinema.
