Rajat Patidar leads Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) as their captain in the IPL 2025 season. Interestingly, the Indian cricketer has revealed that he learned the art of batting on spin-friendly pitches not from Virat Kohli, but from a former Indian cricketer. This mentorship has significantly enhanced his skills against spin bowling.
While Patidar has excelled in his captaincy role, Kohli has been phenomenal as an opener for RCB. The veteran batter has amassed seven half-centuries this season, emerging as the team’s highest run-scorer.
Under Patidar’s leadership, RCB currently holds the second position on the IPL 2025 points table with 16 points, tied with table-toppers Gujarat Titans (GT). With eight wins and just three losses in 11 matches, RCB is just one win away from securing a playoff spot.
IPL 2025: Rajat Patidar’s Mastery Against Spin Inspired by Rahul Dravid
Rajat Patidar, during a recent episode of the RCB podcast, shared insights about his development as a batter on spin-friendly pitches, crediting Indian cricket legend Rahul Dravid as his inspiration. Notably, Dravid is India’s second-highest run-scorer in Test cricket, only behind Sachin Tendulkar.
“I watched a lot of his [Rahul Dravid’s] batting in Test matches, especially on spin tracks. His footwork, whether on the front foot or back foot, and his use of the crease taught me a lot,” Patidar revealed.
IPL 2025: Patidar further explained that his foundation against spin was also strengthened during his early club cricket days, where he often played on unprepared, spin-friendly surfaces.
“At the club level, most matches were on unprepared wickets, which forced me to adapt to spin. Before my Ranji debut, we had a home-and-away format where the home team prepared the pitches. Since we had three quality spinners, we chose spin-friendly tracks, and I knew I would be playing on square-turners. I realized that to score runs, I needed to develop shots that could put pressure on spinners,” Patidar added.
Having made his international debut for India in December 2023, Patidar has represented the country in three Tests and one ODI. In IPL 2025, as RCB’s skipper, he has shown decent form, scoring 239 runs in 10 innings at a strike rate of 140.58, including two half-centuries.
RCB is set to play three more games in the league stage of IPL 2025, beginning with a clash against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on May 17 at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. This match will be the first after the league’s resumption, which was temporarily suspended by the BCCI on May 9.
