Rajat Patidar to make his debut vs SA (x.com)
In a blissful update for the Indian and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) fans, Madhya Pradesh batter Rajat Patidar received his maiden ODI cap on Thursday. The right-handed batter will be making his ODI debut against South Africa in the series-decider game at Paarl.
Ahead of the toss for the 3rd ODI affair between the Proteas and India, Patidar received the long-due cap from the stand-in skipper KL Rahul.
Interestingly, the RCB star has replaced an injured Ruturaj Gaikwad in India's playing XI. Meanwhile, the Men in Blue haven't made any other changes to their side after the eight-wicket defeat in 2nd ODI.
Patidar's claim to fame moment came during Eliminator against Lucknow in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022, when he smashed a spellbinding 112 off 54 balls. However, he faced an unfortunate Achilles Heel injury, ruling him out of the IPL 2023.
Nevertheless, the 30-year-old received his long-due ODI cap on the back of a sensational comeback in domestic cricket. In 2022-23, Patidar slammed 565 in the Ranji Trophy, 174 runs in the domestic T20 and 315 List-A runs.
Playing XIs for SA vs IND 3rd ODI
India Playing XI: Sanju Samson, B Sai Sudharsan, Rajat Patidar, Tilak Varma, Lokesh Rahul (c and wk), Rinku Singh, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Mukesh Kumar, Avesh Khan, Arshdeep Singh
South Africa Playing XI: Reeza Hendricks, Tony de Zorzi, Rassie van der Dussen, Aiden Markram (c), Heinrich Klaasen (wk), David Miller, Wiaan Mulder, Keshav Maharaj, Nandre Burger, Lizaad Williams, Beuran Hendricks
 "Arjun Bhalla")
