Captain Rajat Patidar makes RCB glitter | Cricket News

CHENNAI: For years, Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s captaincy baton has passed through the hands of stalwarts – Kevin Pietersen, Anil Kumble, Daniel Vettori, Virat Kohli, and Faf du Plessis – yet none could crack the code against Chennai Super Kings in Chennai.
Then came Rajat Patidar – not the most decorated name – who in his very first stint as captain did what the giants before him couldn’t: lead RCB to a historic win at Chepauk after 17 long years on Friday. In a format where the game moves at breakneck speed, leadership decisions could be overshadowed by individual brilliance. But some of these decisions quietly decide matches.
RCB opener Phil Salt was quick to acknowledge his skipper’s impact, praising how Patidar kept the visitors on the front foot throughout the game.
“Brilliant captaincy. He is brilliant in all areas. To take the initiative with the new ball is one thing, but to not take the foot of the gas and drive it home…and you know there was not one period of the game when we let the pressure off the opposition, so you have to tip your hat off to the bowlers and Rajat for doing that,” Salt said after the match.
Be it leading from the front with a fluent knock of 51 (off 32 balls; 4×4, 3×6) in the trickiest phase of the innings against CSK’s lethal spinners, or his bowling changes that broke budding partnerships in the middle overs, or his precise field placements – Patidar orchestrated them all seamlessly.
During his innings, he took on the young, crafty chinaman Noor Ahmad with a towering six and punished the seasoned Ravindra Jadeja with two fours and a six. Speaking about it, the 31-year-old from Indore said: “I think it was a very important innings from me because we were targeting 200, as that wouldn’t be easy to chase. My goal was clear that as long as I was there, I would maximise every ball.”
Salt was in awe of his captain and was all praise for the way he dealt with the spinners. “I’ve not seen anybody hit spin the way he can. And then you come to his captaincy, and he’s a cool head and very calm under pressure. He’s got a very good cricketing brain. And the way that he spun the bowlers around tonight (Friday) to make sure that we’re keeping the pressure on at all times. There’s a reason he’s got the Player of the Match trophy as well,” said Salt.