Rajat Patidar Has Replaced Virat Kohli for the First Two Tests Against England

Madhya Pradesh batsmen Rajat Patidar joined the Indian cricket team in Hyderabad before his first Test, which begins Thursday (January 25) with England. He replaced star batsmen Virat Kohli, who left the team for the first two matches for personal reasons.

The 30-year-old Patidar recently performed impressive performances in a series of matches against the England Lions by 111 and 151. This notable form made him a pioneer in the call-up, even considering the experienced Cheteshwar Pujara and Sarfaraj Khan.

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According to the Cricbuzz article, Patidar, who recently made his ODIs debut in South Africa, attended the BCCI Awards on Tuesday. Although he is unlikely to participate in Playing XI for the first Test, he will act as a backup when a concussion replacement is required during a last-minute injury, illness or match.

Gill, KL Rahul, and Shreyas Iyer are 3, 4, and 5 respectively in the batting order expected, All-rounder Ravindra Jadeja and wicketkeeper-batsmen KS Bharat are likely to occupy 6th and 7th places.In a related development on Tuesday, Rinku Singh was inducted into the India A team for the second unofficial Test to be held in Ahmedabad from Wednesday with the England Lions. This move paved the way for Pattidar to become a senior in Hyderabad.