Rajat Patidar stole the show with an unbeaten century in the IPL 2022 Eliminator against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on Thursday at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Riding on Patidar’s unbeaten 112, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) posted 207 runs on the board, which was enough for them to seal a win.
The Madhya Pradesh cricketer came out to bat in the first over after RCB skipper Faf du Plessis was out in the first over. Patidar pressed gears from the first ball and spared no one. He took over Krunal Pandya in the final over of the powerplay and from then there was no stopping him.
The 28-year-old spared none and brought up his hundred off just 49 deliveries. He eventually ended on 112 runs from 54 balls, including 12 boundaries and seven towering sixes. Former RCB captain Virat Kohli was all praise for Rajat Patidar and even stated that he hasn’t seen many better knocks than this.
“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,” Kohli said at the end of the game to the IPL website.
Incidentally, Rajat Patidar had joined the Royal Challengers in the middle of the season as a replacement for injured Luvnith Sisodia. He had gone unsold in the IPL 2022 mega auction earlier this year.
“Don’t think that anyone should take that for granted” – Virat Kohli on Rajat Patidar’s knock
The top-order cricketer left everyone awestruck, putting in a heavy performance when the team needed it the most. Virat Kohli urged people to understand the magnitude and not take the knock for granted.
“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,” he added.
Rajat Patidar will hope to continue the breathtaking form when RCB lock horns with Rajasthan Royals (RR) in Qualifier 2 on Friday at the Narendra Modi Stadium.
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