Bengaluru, Sep 16 (IANS) Rajat Patidar, who captained Royal Challengers Bengaluru to their maiden Indian Premier League (IPL) title earlier this year, believes the experience brought tremendous growth to his leadership. The star batter now looks to draw on those learnings as he leads India A in the opening game of the three-match one-day series against Australia A, beginning September 30.

The 32-year-old’s credentials as both leader and performer shone this week as he guided Central Zone to the Duleep Trophy 2025 title with a six-wicket victory over South Zone in Bengaluru. Patidar capped the campaign with a stellar 101 off 115 balls in the final and finished as the tournament’s top scorer with 382 runs in five innings, including two centuries and two half-centuries.

“It’s a huge honour for me to captain the India ‘A’ side for the series against Australia ‘A’. I feel this is a great opportunity for me and the team to show the level we are at and be in the reckoning for an India call-up with a resilient performance,” said Patidar.

He further added, “In a way, this year has been very special for me, personally, with my on-field abilities being recognised and equally rewarded. It began with the captaincy stint of the MP state team in first-class cricket and RCB trusting me with the responsibility of captaining the iconic side. Winning the trophy was only the icing on the cake, and along the way, there have been tremendous learnings which will benefit me in the long run.”

“As captain of a team, it is about how we come together as a unit and are willing to take a bullet for each other. That’s the camaraderie and belief system we had in RCB this season, where each of us stepped up for one another and worked together towards success. It will be a similar approach that we would like to adapt as a team for the India ‘A’ outing. I am excited and look forward to the new challenge,” Patidar said.

–IANS

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