Cricket News India vs England 2024

'Dikha de indori dum'- Fans react as Rajat Patidar is named replacement for Virat Kohli in the First two Tests against England

Rajat Patidar named as replacement for Virat Kohli in the first two Test vs England. Fans give a positive response to the talented batter for his consistent performances ahead of the series.

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Sarah Andrew
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Rajat Patidar ( Source- X)

Tomorrow will be the big day when India and England will face off against each other in the 1st Test at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad. The fans are excited to see this talented India squad go head-to-head against this fearless England side. Both the teams will be tested in this 5-match Test series, where  Rohit Sharma and his team of World-class talent and Ben Stokes and his explosive Englishmen will take on each other. Everyone is looking forward to this series to see who will finally come on top in this great encounter.

The Indians, however, had to deal with some shocking news regarding Virat Kohli, who will not feature in the first two Tests due to personal reasons. There were still many names in the jar for the perfect replacement for one of the best batters in the world. The likes of Cheteshwar Pujara, Abhimanyu Easwaran and Hanuma Vihari were also in the cards. It was still a big mystery who was going to enter the squad on short notice to replace the king himself. What made it tougher was the abundance of talent that was in the ranks to choose from as well.

Rajat Patidar named as a replacement

The replacement for Virat was finally named in the form of upcoming batter Rajat Patidar, who had already shown his ability in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and the practice games against the England Lions. Patidar has already scored two centuries against the Lions and has scored 266 runs in the two matches at an incredible average of 88.67. To go with this, he has also completed 4000 in just his 55th game at an average of over 45 in First class cricket as well. There is no doubt that Patidar is one of the most talented batters who deserves a call-up on the national side.

The consistency and recent performances of Patidar were enough to get him a place in the squad he could be another X-factor since he is also known to be a great player of spin bowling as well. It will be interesting to see how the management and staff will use him going into the series. The fans have given a positive response to the 30-year-old batter from Indore. This will be a great opportunity for him and will be the first step to establish himself in the national team once and for all and secure his future in the Indian setup.

Here’s how the fans have reacted-

Virat Kohli Test Series India vs England Rajat Patidar