Right now just enjoying my batting and not thinking about the future: Patidar

Rajat Patidar became a household name this year after his exploits in two IPL matches this year where he scored a century and half-century for Royal Challengers Bangalore.

Rajat Patidar, of India A batting action against New Zealand A during the first one-day match of the series at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Thursday. | Photo Credit: VEDHAN M / THE HINDU

For someone who has been a consistent performer in domestic cricket for the last half a decade, Rajat Patidar became a household name this year after his exploits in two IPL matches this year where he scored a century and half-century for Royal Challengers Bangalore.

The exploits in IPL followed by a title-winning century for Madhya Pradesh in the Ranji Trophy summit clash finally helped him get into India A squad recently. Once there, he showed he belonged at this level with two centuries in three First-Class matches against New Zealand A.

On Thursday, he continued that dream run with a quick unbeaten 45 to help India A beat New Zealand A in the first one-day, chasing a modest total in a knock filled with stylish cuts and pulls.

“Right now, I am just enjoying my batting and not thinking about the future. When you are scoring runs you are in a good frame of mind, but even when you are not scoring, you can still learn from your mistakes,” said Patidar on Saturday on the eve of the second match of the three-match series which the hosts lead 1-0.

While acknowledging the role IPL has played in him finally getting recognised, Patidar also said he did not tweak a lot technically to the shortest format of the game. “I have not changed anything and continued to play the same way I had in previous years. I am a good timer of the ball but if I go hard, I won’t be successful. At the same time, I can hit big sixes. So understanding yourself is important, and that is what I had done,” he explained.

Patidar also explained that having a clear mindset and the work he has done with MP coach Chandrakant Pandit regarding that has helped him switch between formats easily.

“My strength has always been to get into a good position and timing the ball well. The mind is important as there is a difference between the red-ball and white-ball format. You can’t go in with a fixed mindset. You have to cut down on a few shots in the red ball which isn’t the case in white ball cricket. So you have to understand the flow of the game,” he said.