After winning the IPL in his first season as Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) captain, Rajat Patidar didn’t rest on his laurels, working on fine-tuning his technique to dominate the bowlers even more as he went about guiding his team to a sturdy defence of their crown. Patidar spent large parts of the year trying to find a way to deal more effectively with fast bowlers, being already known for his prowess against spinners. What he arrived at was a certain trigger movement that has helped him push the bar this season, including the rollicking 93 in the First Qualifier against Gujarat Titans. “I made a few changes in batting against fast bowlers,” he would say in RCB’s Play Bold podcast. “I changed trigger movements technically. When I was at home, I saw which technique suited me against fast bowlers. While tweaking and making changes, I found that one trigger movement felt right. And then I kept repeating that. I returned to RCB camp and discussed it with (mentor) Dinesh Karthik. It was perfect in nets. He thought it would work.” RCB don’t believe in taking their foot off the pedal and the intensity doesn’t let up in the middle overs, where Patidar does most of his work. “The gameplan is set beforehand. It’s mostly to dominate as much as we can,” he said. After his 31-ball 61 against LSG, Virat Kohli had remarked that in the nets, it was tough to say if Patidar was watching bowlers or their heart rate. The Madhya Pradesh batter also offered insight into how RCB view partnerships: rotating strike isn’t quite in vogue, or not a priority at any rate. “If you can put pressure on a bowler, if you can hit him for a six, don’t take a single. That communication is clear.”Story continues below this ad Patidar who tends to up his game for Playoffs would also note in the podcast that he thrives on challenges against the ‘big’ teams. “When a big team like Mumbai, CSK, KKR come, automatically a challenge switch clicks inside me. I enjoy that challenge.” Captaincy sits easy on him. “People call me less by my name, and more as ‘Captain, Captain’. That acceptance is something I had never experienced before,” he would say. Patidar stressed that calmness was the most important trait in a captain.Story continues below this ad “I’m not a very expressive character. I’m a little shy. But on the field, in awareness about every situation, I try not to change my natural manner. I support bowlers because there’s so much pressure on them. Wickets are flat, they don’t get that much help. So I try to create an environment, a bubble, that gives them confidence. Keep them in a good space. Because I’m not expressive, nothing shows on my face even if a plan doesn’t work. So bowlers have that assurance.”
How a little tweak in his technique made Rajat Patidar a beast against fast bowlers
