Rajat Patidar reveals that he idealizes Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in the current batting era
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are one of the most senior players on the Indian side while one of those arising stars who have adored Kohli and Rohit over the years is Rajat Patidar, the one who could make his ODI debut for India on Thursday against South Africa.
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are one of the most senior players on the Indian side. Throughout their careers, the two stalwarts have done wonders with the bat and inspired a large number of young cricketers.
One of those arising stars who have adored Kohli and Rohit over the years is Rajat Patidar, the one who could make his ODI debut for India on Thursday against South Africa.
Added to the Indian team for the 3-match ODI series against South Africa, Patidar has done very well in domestic cricket. He also put in a few commendable performances for the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Patidar’s consistent performances in domestic cricket didn’t be ignored for long as he was compensated with his maiden national call-up for the 3 ODIs against South Africa. Ahead of the first match of the series, Patidar expressed the impact of idols Kohli and Rohit on his career.
“Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are my idols. Playing with Virat Kohli and creating partnerships with him has been special. Even off the field, if I go to him to talk about my batting, he is always helpful. Getting a chance to share the dressing room with your idols, which not everybody gets in their life, is special. There are a lot of learnings that I have gotten from him, both on and off the field,”
Patidar said in an interview with Cricket Addiction.
“He always asks me to back my game and also shares his point of view on my batting. He tries to give me some pointers, which I try to add to my batting to improve my overall game,”
he said.
When asked about a few cricketing stars from the past that Patidar applaud, he took the name of Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid. When it comes to non-cricketing sports stars, Cristiano Ronaldo was on the first spot on Patidar’s list.
“When I was young, I used to admire Sachin (Tendulkar) sir and Rahul (Dravid) sir. Right now, there is Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma because they all are perfect players for all formats and have performed consistently for the national team.
“In other sports, I admire Cristiano Ronaldo because he has always been on the top for so long. Every time he has this hunger to stay at the top of the game. The way he handles his training and routine and his work ethic are just incredible. Every time he wants to fight for the top position, this mindset to always win is inspirational,”
he said.