Should India consider Rajat Patidar for T20Is? Irfan Pathan suggests
What's the story
Former Indian cricketer Irfan Pathan has suggested that the national team should consider Rajat Patidar in T20Is. His suggestion comes after India's defeat to England in the 2nd T20I at Manchester's Old Trafford. The match saw the 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi make his debut, which further increased the tally of India's left-handed batters. Despite his stellar performance in domestic cricket and the IPL, Patidar was not picked for the Ireland and England series.
Team dynamics
Imbalance in batting lineup
Pathan believes that including Patidar in the T20I squad could help balance the left and right-handed batters in the Playing XI. He noted that six out of India's top seven batters at Old Trafford were left-handers. Captain Shreyas Iyer was the only right-handed batter among them. Pathan said, "Looking at the number of left-hand batters in the Indian T20 team right now, it's even more of a reason for Team India to look at Rajat Patidar going forward."
Information
All-left-hander top order
While Sooryavanshi made his much-awaited debut, it came at the expense of Sanju Samson, a potent right-hander in the top order. This led to India exposing an all-left-hander top order - Sooryavanshi, Abhishek Sharma, and Ishan Kishan. Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, and Axar Patel followed suit.
Prospects
Opportunity for Patidar?
Pathan expressed his hope that Patidar would get an opportunity soon, especially with plenty of time left for Team India to experiment before the next ICC T20 World Cup. He said, "I really hope he gets an opportunity, especially since there is still plenty of time for Team India to experiment before the next T20 World Cup."
Player profile
Impressive stats in IPL and T20 cricket
Patidar was among the most explosive batters in IPL 2026, scoring 501 runs in 14 innings at an average of 41.75 (SR: 192.69). He hit five half-centuries, recording a total of 42 sixes and 30 fours. This was his best season since making his IPL debut in 2022. Leading Royal Challengers Bengaluru to successive IPL titles, Patidar has shown his bravado in T20s. From 113 T20s, he owns 3,389 runs at an impressive strike rate of 160.08.