Ahmedabad, May 31 (PTI): Royal Challengers Bengaluru skipper Rajat Patidar couldn’t thank Virat Kohli enough for his invaluable suggestions on technical aspect of his batting but also for having his back by standing like a pillar for all the junior members of the squad.
Patidar, who himself scored 500-plus runs in RCB’s second successive IPL title triumph, thanked his team’s senior most member for his support.
“The way I look at my batting, I try to work on where I can improve, against pacers especially. I got a lot of ideas and help from Kohli bhai. Whenever I see him, he’s always there for the team and all players. He goes to the young players even if they’re nervous approaching him,” Patidar said about team-man Kohli.
On his second win as skipper, Patidar said as he entered the Narendra Modi Stadium arena, lot of memories kept flooding back from last year’s triumph but he trained his mind to stay in the present.
“It feels superb. There were a lot of memories from last year but we had to stay in the present. Don’t have words to express but feeling good,” Patidar said.
Having had an idea of the track, Patidar knew that chasing would be easier.
“Plan was clear, it was easier to chase. We wanted to get their (GT’s) top-three. Our bowlers throughout the tournament have been superb. Bhuvi (Bhuvneshwar Kumar), (Josh) Hazlewood, Rasikh (Dar), Krunal (Pandya), Sheppie (Romario Shepherd), all have been superb.” Four years back, Patidar had deferred his marriage after being called as an injury replacement of Luvnith Sisodia and by 2025, he was handed the captaincy in a more of an inspired move. If anyone would have told him about his life’s script, Patidar would not have believed him.
“Never dreamt I’d win two (IPLs) for RCB. It’s all written. Last year, there was a lot of pressure. This year, we were confident. All were in a good frame of mind as compared to last year. Pre-tournament prep was very good for me.” As a parting shot, Patidar addressed the fans in Kannada. “EE salanoo cup namdu (The Cup is ours again).” PTI KHS KHS PDS
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