Getting my first Test call-up after injury is the happiest moment for me: Rajat Patidar

Visakhapatnam, Feb 1 (IANS) Ahead of the second Test against England at the ACA-VDCA Stadium starting on Friday, India batter Rajat Patidar said receiving his maiden Test call-up after recovering from an Achilles injury has been the happiest moment for him.

Patidar was recently with India ‘A’ squad, currently playing against England Lions in Ahmedabad and made 151 off 158 balls in the first four-day match in a pressure situation last month. He was called into the Test team after Virat Kohli pulled out of the first two Tests due to personal reasons.

The right-handed batter had missed the majority of 2023 due to an Achilles injury needing surgery in the United Kingdom and recovered to make his ODI debut against South Africa at Paarl in December 2023.

“It is always hard when a player gets injured. I told myself I cannot change the time it will take to recover. I accepted this fact and worked in the present with a lot of focus. Getting my first Test call-up after recovering from the injury is the happiest moment for me, because it was my first dream to play Tests for India. I received the call while playing for India A and felt very good on getting the call-up," said Patidar in a chat with bcci.tv.

Patidar, 30, has a good record in domestic cricket, amassing 4000 runs in first-class matches at an average of 45.97, including 12 hundreds. At the Indian team nets in Visakhapatnam on Wednesday, Patidar was seen exhibiting his range of sweep shots, something which England used proactively in their 28-run win in the Hyderabad Test.

"I have an aggressive batting style and have played like this since my domestic cricket days. This is my habit now, as it is all about preparing well. I study the pattern of the opposition bowlers, how they place their field. I observe how players like Rohit tackle it and I analyse plus try to add all those learnings into my game. That is my only focus," he added.

He feels that his confidence has been given a boost through interactions with the Indian team. “I have played with many Indian team players in the domestic circuit and have interacted with Rahul (Dravid, head coach) sir for the last two series. I had not got a lot to speak to Rohit (Sharma, captain) bhai, but I have now got a chance to speak to him about batting on this tour. He shared his experience in the nets. All this has increased my confidence.”

With Ravindra Jadeja and KL Rahul unavailable for the second Test due to injuries, the chances of Patidar’s Test debut are bright. "I always try to observe Virat bhai's batting from the back of the nets - especially his footwork and body movements while batting. I enjoy watching him bat a lot and I try to add it to my game. If I have to express my emotion in one word, it will be ‘excited’,” he concluded.