Banking on spinners to weave their magic on turning pitches against England, Rohit Sharma’s Team India will also expect premier batters to deliver the goods in the absence of stalwart Virat Kohli. Former India skipper Kohli has opted out of the first two Tests against England for personal reasons. With Kohli only available for selection after the first two games, India have roped in Rajat Patidar in its squad for the 1st and 2nd Tests against England on Wednesday.
Madhya Pradesh batter Patidar has joined India’s squad for the England series following his brilliant show England Lions. The Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) star was in Ahmedabad, where he played for India A side against the England Lions. The India batter is set to arrive in Hyderabad on Wednesday ahead of the 1st Test against Ben Stokes’ men at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium. Patidar smashed 151 off 158 balls in the first four-day match against England Lions.
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Speaking at the traditional press conference on the eve of the Test series opener, Indian skipper Rohit hinted that the Asian giants are looking beyond senior batters Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane in the longest format. Pujara and Rahane were considered as the leading candidates to replace Kohli in the first two Tests against England.
‘When young players going to get their opportunity?’
“Look, actually, we did think about it (going back to a senior player). But all these younger players, when are they going to get their opportunity? That’s something we thought, I thought as well,” Rohit told reporters. Former India vice-captain Rahane last featured for the Asian giants against the West Indies at Port of Spain in 2023. Veteran Pujara was dropped from India’s squad after the ICC World Test Championship final against Australia at the Oval.
“Leaving out an experienced player or not considering them is very hard. The amount of runs they’ve scored, the kind of experience they’ve had, the amount of games they have won for us, you know, it’s very hard to ignore all of that. But, you know, you sometimes have to bring certain players into your set-up as well. You have to give them favourable conditions as you don’t want to expose them on foreign doors, where they’ve not played before. So, I think it’s important that we try and get some of these youngsters an opportunity,” Rohit added.
‘By no means, the doors are closed for anyone’
However, the Indian skipper refused to shut the doors on the seasoned campaigners. “By no means, the doors are closed for anyone, you know, as long as they stay fit and keep scoring runs. Anyone will be welcomed back into the setup,” the Indian skipper concluded. Plying his trade in the Ranji Trophy after his India exit, Pujara recently became the fourth Indian to complete 20,000 first-class runs. The Saurashtra star has joined the likes of Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid on the elite list.
