Visakhapatnam, Feb 1: Ahead of the second Test against England, India batter Rajat Patidar said that receiving his maiden Test call-up is the happiest moment of his life, and he also spoke about observing and learning from senior batters Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.

India, 1-0 down in the five-match series, will take on England in the second Test at Visakhapatnam on Friday. With KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja out due to injuries and Virat missing the first two Tests due to personal reasons, Patidar could make his Test debut for India.

"Whenever a player gets injured, it becomes difficult for him. I told myself that I cannot change my recovery time, kept myself in the present and accepted it. Returning from injury, getting my first Test call-up is the happiest moment for me, because it was my dream to play Tests for India. I received the call while playing for India A," said Patidar in a video posted by BCCI.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Team India (@indiancricketteam)

Patidar said that he has been communicating well with head coach Rahul Dravid and also discusses batting with skipper Rohit in the nets.

Patidar, an aggressive batter, is trying to implement the elements of the veteran's game into his.

"My batting style is aggressive and have played like this since my domestic cricket days. This is my habit, it is about preparing well. How opponents bowl, their bowlers, field placements and how players like Rohit tackle it, I try to add it into my game. That is my only focus," said Patidar.

Patidar also admitted that he enjoys watching Virat bat, especially his footwork and body movements. The 35-year-old superstar batter is also Patidar's teammate in his Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB).

"I always observe Virat Bhai's batting from the back of the nets - especially his footwork and body movements while batting - I enjoy watching him bat a lot". I try to add it to my game," said Patidar.

Summing up all his emotions in a word, Patidar said that he is "excited" to play a Test for India.

Patidar has featured in one ODI for India, against South Africa in December last year, where he scored 22 runs in 16 balls and impressed with his strokeplay.

(ANI)

Read Sports News

Argus English | argus english | Odisha Latest News, Breaking News, Trending News, Live TV