Rajat Patidar, a cricketer from Madhya Pradesh, has been selected to join India’s Test squad in place of Virat Kohli, who withdrew from the first two Tests against England due to personal reasons. Patidar, currently playing for India A in Ahmedabad, is expected to arrive in Hyderabad on Wednesday.
With Kohli unavailable, India lacked reserve specialist batters in the Test squad, except for KS Bharat and Dhruv Jurel, with one of them set to play as the specialist wicketkeeper, as confirmed by head coach Rahul Dravid.
Patidar recently scored 151 off 158 balls in the first four-day match against England Lions, showcasing his strong performance. The 30-year-old has impressive statistics in first-class cricket, accumulating 4000 runs at an average of 45.97 with 12 centuries. Patidar made his ODI debut against South Africa in December.
Addressing the choice of a relatively inexperienced player, captain Rohit Sharma emphasized the importance of providing opportunities to younger talents. The first Test of the series between India and England is scheduled to start in Hyderabad on January 25.
Meanwhile, Devdutt Padikkal from Karnataka has been included in the India A squad, replacing B Sai Sudharsan, who is sidelined due to back spasms. Rinku Singh has also been added to the India A squad for the second four-day match against England Lions in Ahmedabad from January 24. The first two Tests against England will feature a squad led by Rohit Sharma, including players like Shubman Gill, KL Rahul, R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, and Jasprit Bumrah.
