You deserve it - Rajat Patidar reveals how Virat Kohli welcomed him as the new RCB captain

Captaining RCB is a privilege that warrants honour but it comes in with a boatload of responsibilities. Especially to essay a role that has been carried forth by the greats like Virat Kohli, Daniel Vettori, Shane Watson, Anil Kumble and Rahul Dravid presents an opportunity to shine brighter for the one given the opportunity.

Rajat Patidar was handed over the baton by Virat Kohli himself ahead of IPL 2025, at the RCB Unbox event. Patidar, who has been impressive over the last few years, was on the leadership radar and when Faf du Plessis was released, a decision was taken by the management. Talking in a teaser of the RCB Podcast, Patidar revealed the conversation that he had with Virat at RCB Unbox.

Patidar said, “I was blank when he told me to hold the plaque. While giving it to me, he said, ‘you deserve it, you earned it.’ So I felt a little bit okay. I mean when Virat said this to me, then I became normal in that situation. So I think that these two things are always going to be very special for me.”

He further added, “Whenever he bats in the net, I watch his batting. I learn as much as I can from him. It is also an opportunity that I am playing and now I got the captaincy and he is with me. So I learn as much as I can from him. Because of the amount of experience and ideas that he has, no one else has the same.”