Rajat Patidar’s captaincy saga: From self-doubt to brink of immortality | Cricket News

Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s captain Rajat Patidar throughout a apply session. (PTI Photo)

Just one match separates Rajat Patidar from immortality in cricketing folklore. A triumph in opposition to PBKS will finish RCB’s 18-year await a historic IPL title, incomes Patidar cult standing in his first season as captain. The Bengaluru-based franchise have been extraordinarily dominant this season, pulling off spectacular wins. None of the clumsiness which outlined RCB in earlier editions has been seen, making Patidar look like a messiah despatched by the divine forces.However, the cricketer, who leads Madhya Pradesh in limited-overs cricket, curiously lacked self-belief as a captain initially, as revealed by the state staff’s head coach Chandrakant Pandit.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!“I was after him to take up the state team’s captaincy for the last two to three years, considering the respect he commands among the players. However, he was not very keen initially. I don’t think he believed in himself as a captain. Rajat was somebody who would speak very less. It was tough to understand what he was thinking,” stated Pandit throughout an unique interplay with TimesofIndia.com.Who’s that IPL participant?“However, Rajat came to me last season and said, ‘I would like to take up the responsibility of captaincy’. Interacting with him during the off-season made me realise his ability to take quality decisions and emerge as a leader. MP did so well under his captaincy in the Syed Mushtaq Ali (SMAT) 2024-25, reaching the final. Rajat’s confidence increased after the team started winning matches under his captaincy. I had a conversation with RCB head coach Andy Flower during the SMAT. He was very keen to know what’s so special about Rajat,” added the KKR head coach.

The RCB captain has witnessed his fair proportion of battle and misfortune over time, from restricted alternatives to being continuously sidelined due to accidents. Pandit termed Patidar’s perspective and want to be taught rapidly as an element behind his fast progress, propelling him to such success.

“Rajat takes spontaneous decisions without being fearful. At the same time, he is also aware of the things which are going wrong in his decision-making, which I noted during SMAT 2024-25. Rajat immediately came to me after missing out on some aspects and said, ‘I should’ve done this instead’. Acceptance is very important,” stated Pandit.“There were certain instances where he got out after playing a bad shot. I was upset at him, but he took it in the right spirit without saying a single word. You could see the difference in the next match. Some other cricketers would’ve, maybe, termed the bad shot as a part of the game. However, Rajat is a very good learner and took the lessons from the interaction,” he added.The KKR head coach highlighted a current interplay with Patidar earlier than an IPL 2025 match in opposition to RCB in Bengaluru, which showcases his sturdy mentality.

“Rajat had suffered a finger injury. I asked him, ‘What has happened to your finger?’. He said, ‘Don’t worry. I will be playing’. That is the level of confidence and mental strength he enjoys. Rajat is also a vocal communicator and expresses himself freely which is an indication of the self-belief he enjoys as a captain,” acknowledged Pandit.Former Madhya Pradesh captain Devendra Bundela termed Patidar main RCB within the IPL 2025 ultimate as a significant second in his profession.“I expected RCB to do well but reaching the final is a massive achievement and a big moment in Rajat’s journey. RCB have an edge over PBKS because of Rajat’s ability to emerge as a game-changer in big matches. He had scored a sensational 81(40) in the SMAT 2024/25 final against Mumbai and I would back him to get another big knock. Rajat is simply unstoppable on his day. Players who toil it out in domestic cricket become tactically astute and mentally tough which he is a classic example of,” acknowledged Bundela.