For all the bold calls made by India's selectors on Saturday, one omission stood out above the rest: Rajat Patidar.
The Royal Challengers Bengaluru captain
had just led the franchise to a second consecutive IPL title. He scored 501 runs at a strike rate of 192.69, dominated the middle overs better than almost anyone in the competition, and cemented his reputation as one of India's premier spin-hitters.
Yet when the squads for the Ireland and England T20I tours were announced, Patidar's name was nowhere to be found.
And judging by the reaction from former cricketers, many are struggling to understand why.
Rajat Patidar Numbers Were Hard To Ignore
Patidar wasn't merely a successful captain this season. He was one of the IPL's most destructive batters.
- 501 runs
- Strike rate: 192.69
- 42 sixes
- 30 fours
- Back-to-back IPL titles as captain
His impact became even more pronounced once the Powerplay ended.
| Phase | Runs | Balls | Strike Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overs 1-6 | 37 | 43 | 86.05 |
| Overs 7-11 | 152 | 80 | 190.00 |
| Overs 12-16 | 234 | 108 | 216.67 |
| Overs 17-20 | 78 | 28 | 278.57 |
Those are the numbers of a specialist middle-order aggressor - exactly the role India often look for in T20 cricket.
Harbhajan Singh Disappointed over Rajat Patidar Snub
Former India spinner Harbhajan Singh was among the first high-profile voices to publicly question the decision.
"Sad no Rajat Patidar in the Indian squad. What else he needs to do? Scored 501 runs strike rate almost 200. Unfair. Rajat Patidar is easily the best middle-order batter in India. Proper striker with good technique. "
Harbhajan's frustration echoed a wider sentiment on social media, where many fans believed Patidar had done everything possible to force his way into the national setup.
After all, if IPL performances are being rewarded elsewhere, why not for the man who captained the champions and delivered with the bat?
Ajit Agarkar Explains Why Rajat Patidar was Left Out
Chief selector Ajit Agarkar admitted Patidar was firmly in contention but suggested the issue was competition rather than performance.
"Rajat had an excellent IPL season and was definitely in contention. However, India has a lot of quality players competing for limited spots and the selectors felt the chosen squad was the best balance. Some deserving players will always miss out. "
That explanation may be accurate, but it doesn't fully answer why others were preferred.
A Victim Of India's Middle-Order Traffic Jam?
The most likely reason is simple: Patidar's strongest position is also India's most crowded.
The selectors have already committed to:
- Shreyas Iyer as captain and likely No. 4
- Tilak Varma as vice-captain
- Nitish Kumar Reddy as a long-term project
- Vaibhav Sooryavanshi as a future superstar
- Established finishers and all-rounders already in the setup
Unlike an opener or a specialist spinner, Patidar doesn't offer a secondary skillset. His case rests almost entirely on his batting.
Ironically, that batting may have been so good that it made the omission even harder to justify.
The Bigger Debate
Patidar's snub raises a broader question about India's selection philosophy.
If a player can:
- Win back-to-back IPL titles as captain,
- Score over 500 runs at nearly 200 strike rate,
- Dominate the middle overs,
- And still not make a transitional T20 squad,
then what exactly is the pathway into the Indian team?
The selectors clearly believe they have picked a squad built for the future. But Patidar is only 32, is in the form of his life, and has arguably just produced the strongest case of any uncapped middle-order batter in the country.
That's why his omission has generated so much debate.
It's not that Rajat Patidar wasn't considered.
It's that after a season like this, many are wondering what more he could possibly have done.
