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India vs England 2024 Cricket

'RCB blood replacing RCB icon' - Fans react as Rajat Patidar replaces Virat Kohli in first two Tests of IND vs ENG series

Experienced campaigner Cheteshwar Pujara and youngsters Rajat Patidar, Sarfaraz Khan and Rinku Singh were in line for the number four spot.

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Mathew K
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Rajat Patidar (Source: Twitter)

Rajat Patidar (Source: Twitter)

Speculations were rife as to who would replace Virat Kohli in the Team India Test squad for the first two Tests against England. The star batter left the team a couple of days back due to personal reasons and will not be available for the matches in Hyderabad and Visakhapatnam. It left the fans disappointed and the selectors in for a big headache as they head into the high-stakes series without the backbone of their batting unit. 

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Experienced campaigner Cheteshwar Pujara and youngsters Rajat Patidar, Sarfaraz Khan and Rinku Singh were in line for the number four spot. However, the Ajit Agarkar-led Indian Cricket Board selection committee ended all speculation on Tuesday night by confirming Patidar as Kohli's replacement.

As per reports, Patidar was a unanimous choice of the selection committee and the team management. The Madhya Pradesh cricketer has been knocking on the door of the national Test team, which opened after his 151* off 157 balls against the England Lions last week. He was solid against both spin and pace bowling while the rest of his teammates struggled to find any resistance. He also scored 111 in the warm-up fixture against the Lions. 

Is Patidar's invitation a sign that selectors will not go back to the Pujara-Rahane route?

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Rajat Patidar's inclusion in the Test squad can be taken as a clear indication that the team does not want to bring back veteran batters Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane. While Rahane bagged two golden ducks in the ongoing Ranji Trophy season, Pujara made a statement by scoring a double century for Saurashtra against Jharkhand. However, that wasn't enough for the 35-year-old to impress the selectors to get his place back in the Test squad. 

Meanwhile, a sensation in the domestic circuit, Sarfraz Khan was also overlooked. Despite his consistent performances for Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy over the last few years, the middle-order batter has not earned his maiden national call-up. He was also impressive for India A in the first two matches against England Lions, scoring 96 and 55. 

Here's how fans reacted to Rajat Patidar replacing Virat Kohli: 

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