Rajat Patidar, who has emerged as the new hero of Royal Challengers Bangalore, has been receiving praises from all corners for his terrific knock. Rajat stunned everyone as he played an unbeaten knock of 112 off just 54 balls to help the Men in Red and Black defeat Lucknow Super Giants by 14 runs in the IPL 2022 Eliminator match at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Wednesday.
Coming out to bat first at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata, Royal Challengers Bangalore were off to a disastrous start as big guns like skipper Faf du Plessis, Virat Kohli, and Glenn Maxwell failed to give the best of their abilities. However, Patidar stood up for his side, especially when it mattered the most as he made a mockery of LSG bowlers.
From Avesh Khan to Ravi Bishnoi, Rajat smashed every bowler and brought up his maiden century off just 49 deliveries. He finished the game scoring an unbeaten 112 as RCB won the crucial contest by 14 runs.
It has to be noted that Rajat Patidar had gone unsold at the IPL 2022 mega auction and was roped in by RCB as a replacement for Luvnith Sisodia. However, he went on to play the innings of his life for RCB.
Meanwhile, former RCB skipper and batting maestro Virat Kohli has heaped praises on Patidar for his sensational knock that has taken the team one step closer to their maiden IPL title win. Well, after the game, Virat interviewed Patidar and during the same, he stated that he hasn’t seen many better knocks than his Patidar’s century. He said:
“I told him as well after the game as well that I have seen many impact innings and many innings under pressure over so many years. I have not seen many better than how Rajat played today. Under pressure, big game, first uncapped player,”
He added:
“The magnitude of the game was so big that I was feeling the tension in the air because I have been in those situations where you have to cross the line as a team. What he did was very very special, I don’t think that anyone should take that for granted. You should understand the excellence of the innings and appreciate as a cricketer to watch an innings like that,”
Picture of the day – Virat Kohli and Rajat Patidar clicks selfie after the eliminator match. pic.twitter.com/AKbAEEGTSS
— CricketMAN2 (@ImTanujSingh) May 25, 2022
Talking about RCB, the team has now reached Qualifier 2, where they will lock horns with Sanju Samson-led Rajasthan Royals with a place in the final at stakes. If RCB manages to win in the Qualifier 2 round, they will lock horns with the Hardik Pandya-led Gujarat Titans, who have already qualified for the final round of IPL 2022.
