"Virat Kohli And Rohit Sharma Are My Idols": Rajat Patidar Ahead Of 1st ODI Against South Africa

Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are two of the finest batters to have graced Indian cricket. Over the course of their careers, the two stalwarts have done wonders with the bat and inspired thousands of budding cricketers. One of those emerging stars who has idolised Kohli and Rohit over the years is Rajat Patidar, the man who could make his ODI debut for India on Thursday against South Africa.

Included in the Indian team for the 3-match ODI series against South Africa, Patidar has done very well in the domestic cricketing spectrum. He also put in a few exemplary performances for the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Patidar's consistent performances in domestic cricket didn't go unnoticed for long as he was rewarded with his maiden national call-up for the 3 ODIs against South Africa. Ahead of the first match of the series, Patidar opened up on the impact of idols Kohli and Rohit on his career.

"Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are my idols. Playing with Virat Kohli and creating partnerships with him has been really special. Even off the field, if I go to him to talk about my batting, he is always helpful. Getting a chance to share the dressing room with your idols, which not everybody gets in their life, is really special. There are a lot of learnings that I have gotten from him, both on and off the field," Patidar said in an interview with Cricket Addictor.

Having formed a few important partnerships with Kohli in the IPL 2022 season, Patidar also gave insights into the type of conversations he had with the India stalwart during the IPL.

"He always asks me to back my game and also shares his point of view on my batting. He tries to give me some pointers, which I try to add to my batting to