NEW DELHI:
Rajat Patidar
said ahead of the second Test match against England that getting his first Test call-up was the best moment of his life. He also talked about watching and picking up tips from veteran players
Rohit Sharma
and
Virat Kohli
.
In the second Test of the five-match series, India, trailing 0-1, will play England on Friday in
Visakhapatnam
.
Patidar might make his Test debut for India with
KL Rahul
and
Ravindra Jadeja
sidelined by injuries and Virat missing the first two Tests for personal reasons.
"Whenever a player gets injured, it becomes difficult for him. I told myself that I cannot change my recovery time, kept myself in the present and accepted it. Returning from injury, getting my first Test call-up is the happiest moment for me, because it was my dream to play Tests for India. I received the call while playing for India A," said Patidar in a video posted by
BCCI
.
According to Patidar, he and head coach
Rahul Dravid
have been talking effectively. They also talk about batting in the nets with skipper Rohit.
An aggressive batter, Patidar is attempting to incorporate aspects of the veteran's game into his own.
"My batting style is aggressive and have played like this since my domestic cricket days. This is my habit, it is about preparing well. How opponents bowl, their bowlers, field placements and how players like Rohit tackle it, I try to add it into my game. That is my only focus," said Patidar.
Patidar also admitted that he enjoys watching Virat bat, especially his footwork and body movements. The 35-year-old superstar batter is also Patidar's teammate in his Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB).
"I always 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". I try to add it to my game," said Patidar.
Summing up all his emotions in a word, Patidar said that he is "excited" to play a Test for India.
Patidar has played one ODI for India, against South Africa in December last year, where he scored 22 runs in 16 balls.
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