Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) captain Rajat Patidar has named Virat Kohli and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi among his top five batting performances of all time. Patidar made his picks during a recent podcast appearance, with Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar at the top spot on his list.
Patidar was last seen in action during the 2026-27 Duleep Trophy semifinal clash against Central Zone. The defending champions were eliminated after a four-wicket defeat against East Zone at the BCCI Centre of Excellence. Patidar also struggled with the bat in the knockout match.
Rajat Patidar Selects Top Five Batting Performances
Speaking on the SportsLaunchpad YouTube channel, Rajat Patidar picked his five most iconic batting performances. He placed Sachin Tendulkar’s unbeaten 241 against Australia in Sydney in 2004 at No. 1, praising the batter for avoiding the cover drive throughout his marathon innings.
“First, Sachin Tendulkar’s innings, which I had heard about, I think it was somewhere in Australia. He was getting out while playing drives. So, he did not play a single cover drive. That would be number one.”
He then selected two memorable performances from Virat Kohli. Patidar ranked Kohli’s unbeaten 82 off 53 balls against Pakistan in the 2022 T20 World Cup at No. 2, followed by his 692-run haul during India’s 2014-15 Test tour of Australia.
Patidar completed his list with Suresh Raina’s 87 off 25 balls for Chennai Super Kings against Punjab Kings in IPL 2014 and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s two IPL centuries. The RR opener smashed 101 off 38 balls against Gujarat Titans in 2025 before scoring 103 off 37 balls against SunRisers Hyderabad in 2026.
He Is Absolutely Exceptional - Rajat Patidar Praises Vaibhav Sooryavanshi
Rajat Patidar also praised Vaibhav Sooryavanshi during the conversation. The RCB captain stated that the teenager has the ability to put experienced international bowlers under pressure during the powerplay.
“He is absolutely exceptional. Seriously, the way he has dominated every bowler, no matter how big a bowler is, he has put every bowler under pressure. I have even seen bowlers looking completely clueless against him, wondering, ‘What do we do? Where do we bowl?’”
“But the way he has dominated the IPL at this age, at such a young age, is truly exceptional. I feel that for every team, the first thing they probably talk about when they have a match against RR is Vaibhav.”
Sooryavanshi has scored 1,028 runs in 23 IPL matches at an average of 44.69 and a strike rate of 228.95. The left-handed opener has also recorded six half-centuries and two centuries in the tournament.
Rajat Patidar Struggles as Central Zone Exit Duleep Trophy
Rajat Patidar was last seen in action as captain of Central Zone in the 2026-27 Duleep Trophy semifinal against East Zone at the BCCI Centre of Excellence. East Zone secured a four-wicket win to reach the final.
Patidar had a difficult outing with the bat. He scored 12 off 41 balls in the first innings before being dismissed by Mukesh Kumar. He managed only five runs off 19 balls in the second innings as Central Zone were bowled out for 158.
Both teams scored 266 in their first innings, but Central Zone’s second-innings collapse left East Zone with a target of 159. East Zone chased it down in 39.3 overs, with captain Ishan Kishan remaining unbeaten on 39.
Despite his struggles with the bat, Patidar produced one of the match’s standout moments in the field. He completed a full-length backtracking diving catch to dismiss Sooryavanshi for 40 runs during East Zone’s chase.
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