With the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 auction a few days away, the franchises are already strategizing about the mega T20 tournament. Ahead of the auction, the franchises released the names of the players that they have retained and release. While there were some expected releases, there were some surprising trade-offs too. Among the franchises that are yet to win the IPL, Royal Challengers Bangalore is a big team. Despite having stars like Virat Kohli, RCB have failed to taste success in the league.
Among the stars retained by RCB for IPL 2024, Rajat Patidar is a major name. The top order batter has also been picked in India’s ODI team for the South Africa series. He did not play in the IPL 2023 but in the IPL 2022, Patidar scored 333 in eight matches.
South Africa and Royal Challengers Bangalore great AB de Villiers was asked about Rajat Patidar recently. De Villiers praised him but also had an advice for him.
“He is a wonderful player. I played with him at RCB for a few seasons at RCB. He was still very young then. He is getting more experienced now. Just a very solid guy, solid personality, solid attitude and solid technique. He has got everything going for him,” AB de Villiers said in a video on his X account.
“If I can say one thing I want to see more in him, bit more or nit and grit, bit more of fighting spirit. He is almost too kind, too nice sometimes, which I think might be his downfall. Anyway, I absolutely love watching him bat. he is a fantastic player and I think he has got a bright future. It’s great to see him get rewarded to doing well in domestic scene.”
Playing Cricket with an Eye Injury | 360 Live Q&A https://t.co/qcR05j038d
— AB de Villiers (@ABdeVilliers17) December 8, 2023
AB De Villiers recently opened up on Virat Kohli’s performance in India’s upcoming tour to South Africa and said that the fans will see the best of him. While speaking on his official YouTube channel, De Villiers said that he can’t wait to see Kohli making eye contact with opposition players and being involved in a verbal spat.
“We will see the best of Virat. I cannot wait to see the chest out, the eye contact with the opposition, and being a bit verbal with everyone. Because he will be fired up for this series. South Africa will need to be careful. This Indian squad is pure world-class,” De Villiers said.
In the upcoming India tour of South Africa, Kohli has been only included in the Test squad and will not take part in the T20I and ODI matches of the series.
The tour will begin with the three-match T20I affair on December 10 at the Kingsmead Stadium. The second T20I will be played on December 12 at the St George’s Oval. The 20-over format will conclude on December 14 at the Wanderers Stadium.
The 50-over clash will kick off on December 17 at the Wanderers Stadium. The second and final ODI will be played on December 19 and December 21 respectively.
With ANI inputs
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