SA vs IND, 3rd ODI: Rajat Patidar makes his ODI debut as India make two changes, says KL Rahul
India captain KL Rahul confirmed that young middle-order batter Rajat Patidar is making his ODI debut for the Men In Blue in the third ODI against South Africa.
“Not really bothered by being asked to bat first. The wicket will be even for both innings and the lights come on pretty late here. We got ourselves to a good position in the previous game but ended up losing 5 wickets for 40-odd runs. Once we get a good start, we have to make it count,” KL Rahul said at the toss.
“Today is another opportunity for the boys to prove themselves. This looks like a much better wicket than the previous two, hopefully, we can get plenty of runs on the board. Two changes – Rajat Patidar makes his ODI debut, Rutu misses out after doing some damage to his finger. Also, Kuldeep gets a rest and Yuzi Chahal comes in,” Rahul added.
Patidar’s journey in the IPL began when he made his debut in the 2021 season. Throughout his IPL career, he has played a total of 12 matches, amassing 404 runs with an impressive average of 40.40. His batting prowess is highlighted by his highest score of 112*, which is also his only century in the league, complemented by two half-centuries. He boasts a striking strike rate of 144.2 over 280 balls faced in the IPL.
In the 2022 IPL season, Patidar joined RCB as a replacement for the injured Luvnith Sisodia, signing for INR 20 lakh. Unfortunately, Patidar was ruled out of the IPL 2023 due to an Achilles heel injury, and RCB announced that they would not immediately name a replacement for him, expressing their support and wishes for his speedy recovery.
Before his stint in the IPL, Patidar was the leading run-scorer for Madhya Pradesh in the 2018–19 Ranji Trophy, scoring 713 runs in eight matches. His domestic T20 record includes 861 runs in 31 games with seven half-centuries and a high score of 96.
India (Playing XI): Sanju Samson, Sai Sudharsan, Rajat Patidar, Tilak Varma, KL Rahul(w/c), Rinku Singh, Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Avesh Khan, Mukesh Kumar
South Africa (Playing XI): Reeza Hendricks, Tony de Zorzi, Rassie van der Dussen, Aiden Markram(c), Heinrich Klaasen(w), David Miller, Wiaan Mulder, Keshav Maharaj, Nandre Burger, Lizaad Williams, Beuran Hendricks
