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India's poor performances in the ongoing five-match T20I series against Ireland and England have left everyone disappointed. After India’s two T20I series defeats, former chief selector MSK Prasad believes that Rajat Patidar should have been given a chance after his stellar IPL 2026 season.
Prasad feels the Indian selectors and the team management have made a mistake by ignoring the Royal Challengers Bengaluru captain despite his excellent performances over the recent years in the IPL and domestic cricket. He believes that Patidar has done enough to earn his India debut. Earlier, Irfan Pathan urges Ajit Agarkar to pick Rajat Patidar in India's T20I squad.
MSK Prasad demands India call-up for Rajat Patidar
MSK Prasad said that Rajat Patidar deserved a place in the India national cricket team and should have at least been picked for the upcoming three-match T20I series against Zimbabwe. The former chief selector further stressed that the right-handed batter has proved himself as both a reliable batter and a successful captain in the shorter format of the game.
Prasad believes that Patidar is the kind of player who can win matches on his own. He said the RCB captain plays proper cricket shots, understands different match situations well, and can handle both fast bowling and spin without any problem.
MSK Prasad was quoted as saying by CricBlogger, "Rajat deserves a place. He should have at least been picked for the Zimbabwe series. Rajat is a match-winner. He plays proper cricketing shots and adapts to different match situations with ease. He handled both spin and pace with equal competence.”
Rajat Patidar's incredible IPL performances raises big questions over India's selection
The former Indian wicketkeeper-batter’s comments have once again raised questions over India's selection policy. Head coach Gautam Gambhir and chief selector Ajit Agarkar have often said that IPL performances are an important part of selecting players for the national team in T20Is.
Looking at Patidar's recent performances, he has earned the right to wear the India jersey, but he was overlooked for the Ireland and England tours and now for the Zimbabwe tour. The RCB captain has been one of the most consistent performers in the last two IPL seasons.
The Madhya Pradesh batter scored 813 runs across the 2025 and 2026 editions and played a key role in Royal Challengers Bengaluru's back-to-back title-winning campaigns as captain. His batting improved massively in IPL 2026, where Patidar scored 501 runs in 15 matches at an average of 41.75 and an outstanding strike rate of 192.69.
He also smashed 42 sixes, compared to just 14 sixes in 2025, showing his fearless power-hitting. During the 2025 season, he also became the second-fastest Indian batter to complete 1,000 IPL runs. Amid this, 'He never blamed anyone': Abhishek Nayar recalls Rohit Sharma's leadership amid Shreyas Iyer scrutiny.
Rajat Patidar set MPL 2026 on fire before India snub
Patidar continued his brilliant form in the Madhya Pradesh League (MPL) 2026 held last month while playing for the Gwalior Cheetahs. The right-handed batter scored 326 runs in 8 innings, impressing everyone with his fearless batting and aggressive strike rate.
His best performances were 65 off just 30 balls against Malwa Stallions, a fiery 46 off 16 balls against Chambal Ghariyals, and an attacking 45 off 23 balls against Rewa Jaguars, which proved why he is one of the most dangerous batters in domestic cricket.
