'I Have Accepted It': Rajat Patidar Hopes For Team India Return After Failed Opportunity To Thrive

Rajat Patidar's international career did not take off as he would have liked, but the Madhya Pradesh batter is confident of "re-creating" the opportunity through domestic matches and don the India jersey again.

Patidar's six innings against England earlier this year produced just 63 runs, but the right-hander has shown impressive touch in the first half of the Ranji Trophy and the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.

"I enjoyed going to the Test team. But sometimes I feel bad that I missed the opportunity. But it's alright sometimes things don't go your way," Patidar said during an interaction here on Saturday.

Patidar has accepted his "failure" and has moved away from that disappointing space.

"I think acceptance is the key. You have to accept that there will be failure in the cricketing journey. So, it's important for me to face it and learn from it.

"I have just accepted it and I am moving forward. It's a part and parcel of the game. I can re-create the opportunity," he added.

In that context, the 31-year-old has taken a bold first step, scoring a good amount of runs in domestic tournaments.

From five Ranji Trophy matches, the Madhya Pradesh captain has made 427 runs at an average of 53.37 with a hundred and a fifty.

Patidar is also the third highest run-getter in the ongoing SMAT behind Ajinkya Rahane (432) and Bihar's Sakibul Gani (353) with 347 runs from nine matches at a strike-rate of 182.63 with four fifties.

The powerful right-hander said trusting his skills was the reason behind his good run.

"I am just trying to back my strength in the areas where I am going to hit, like I was doing in the last couple of years. I am just trying to find out the same pattern that I was playing in the IPL.

"My mantra is to play one ball at a time. I try to put my impact on the opposition for my team. I don't try to get big scores. I have never paid attention to that," he said.

Patidar also received a confidence-booster when Royal Challengers Bengaluru retained him ahead of the IPL auction.

"Yes, definitely. RCB is a big franchise and I love playing for RCB. So it (retention) gave me a lot of confidence that they retained me." Patidar's name is doing rounds within RCB circles as their prospective captain for IPL 2025 after the franchise released Faf du Plessis.

He was open to that challenge.

"Of course, if I get an opportunity to lead RCB, that is what I am there for, and I will be happy. But it all depends on the franchise," he said.

However, Patidar has an immediate goal to accomplish, guiding Madhya Pradesh to their maiden SMAT title against Mumbai on Sunday at a venue where they won the Ranji Trophy two seasons ago.

Incidentally, they had beaten Mumbai that time and Patidar had made 122 in MP's six-wicket victory.

The captaincy sits light on his shoulders.

"I have learnt a lot out of it. I have enjoyed learning the tactics. I love seeing players and anticipating what they can do.

"I have learnt a lot about captaincy from my coach (Chandrakant Pandit). Everybody knows that he is the best coach in India," he said.