Despite Rajat Patidar not making a significant impact with his batting in IPL 2024 so far, he caught the attention of Virat Kohli by smashing a massive six during the ongoing match between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
In the tenth over of the RCB innings, Rajat Patidar faced MI skipper Hardik Pandya. Pandya began the over well, bowling two dot balls to Faf du Plessis. Then, the RCB skipper took a single, allowing Patidar to face the next delivery.
On the fourth ball of the over, Rajat Patidar managed to score a double before smashing Hardik Pandya’s fourth delivery for a massive six. Pandya delivered a ball just outside off on a good length, and Patidar swung his bat hard, connecting perfectly. The ball soared over the second tier in the stands at long-on. The cameras quickly panned to Virat Kohli, who appeared extremely impressed with the powerful shot.
Virat Kohli’s reaction to Rajat Patidar’s six has gone viral:
The King is impressed 🙌#MIvRCB #TATAIPL #IPLonJioCinema #IPLinBhojpuri pic.twitter.com/Gaf3pQ9kRb
— JioCinema (@JioCinema) April 11, 2024
Rajat Patidar smashed a stunning half-century
It has to be noted that Rajat Patidar is just the second player from RCB to smash a half-century in the ongoing 2024 edition of the Indian Premier League, Virat being the first one.
Patidar joined the action when RCB was struggling at 23/2 after 3.4 overs. He didn’t waste any time and immediately made an impact, hitting a boundary off Akash Madhwal’s bowling. Showing his aggressive intent, he struck another four in the sixth over, helping RCB reach 44/2 within the powerplay.
As the innings progressed, RCB gained momentum, with both du Plessis and Patidar keeping the scoreboard ticking with quick singles and boundaries. Patidar’s innings gained further momentum as he reached his fifty with consecutive sixes. He reached this milestone in just 26 balls, displaying an impressive strike rate of 192.31. In total, he smashed three fours and four sixes.
This fifty marked a significant achievement for Patidar in his sixth match of the season, having scored 100 runs overall. It was his first half-century in the tournament, showcasing his potential as a dynamic batsman for RCB.
