RCB vs CSK: "Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are my batting idols but I watch.."- Rajat Patidar's sensational revelation

Royal Challengers Bengaluru's capped batsman Rajat Patidar has revealed that watching Virat Kohli's net sessions has become a routine for him of late. 

Rajat Patidar is among those batters in the RCB who increased his intensity in the second half of the season when the team needed to play for their pride. Patidar arrived in IPL 2024 on the back of an abysmal performance in his debut Test series against England which India won by a margin of 4-1. 

After registering 2 ducks and scoring 63 runs from 3 Test matches in Vizag, Rajkot, and Ranchi, Rajat Patidar maintained similarity in his IPL innings. Before hitting his peak form this season, Patidar had low scores but ever since the second half of the season arrived, Patidar pulled the strings and scored 5 half-centuries. 

What did Rajat Patidar say about Virat Kohli's net sessions? 

Rajat Patidar hitting his form might have something to do with Virat Kohli's net batting sessions. In an exclusive interview with the Hindustan Times, Patidar revealed that he "makes it a point" to watch over the former RCB captain sweating it out at the nets. He said this after mentioning Kohli and National team captain Rohit Sharma as two of his biggest batting idols.

But one must wonder what Rajat Patidar specifically sees when Virat Kohli smashes the ball in the net. In an overall sense, seeing Kohli bat is a joyful task and it is an eye-pleaser but that's something Patidar can't surely do. So what exactly he tries to observe is the footwork of the 36-year-old. 

Does Patidar try to replicate Kohli's shots and his footwork when he gets down for the job? Not. In his own words, Rajat Patidar explained that he doesn't tweak his batting style but he tries to implement the small things he observed from Virat Kohli's sessions.  

"Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have always been my two biggest batting idols. I make it a point to watch every net session of Virat Bhaiya and notice his footwork and stuff. I don’t go about making too many changes to my own game, but I try and see if I can add little things that I learn from him." - Patidar said via Hindustan Times. 

Patidar also reveals what it's like to share the middle with Kohli 

Rajat Patidar continued his response by adding that he feels extremely confident whenever he shares the middle with Virat Kohli. Not just confidence but sharing the pitch with the world's best batter comes with additional perks. Patidar admitted that the stalwart helps him figure out the areas where the bowlers can bowl and the areas in the ground he can target. 

Lastly, Patidar claimed that Kohli is a walking encyclopedia when it comes to batting ideas as he always thinks differently about his craft. 

"You’re filled with confidence when you’re batting with him in matches, you know the world’s best batter is at the other end. He guides me in terms of where the bowlers could bowl, and which areas we could target. There’s so much to learn from how he goes about his innings, how he thinks about his batting." - Rajat Patidar concluded.