IND vs ENG - Zaheer Khan hands Test debut cap to Rajat Patidar, cricket fans applaud

Before this, Rajat Patidar had scored a 151 in his most recent first-class outing for India A against England Lions.

Rajat Patidar received Test cap No. 310

What a memorable day it will be for the young gun Rajat Patidar, who was handed his Test debut cap by none other than bowling legend Zaheer Khan during the 2nd game between India and England at Dr Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam.

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The cricketer, who was called up to the squad after Virat Kohli withdrew from the first 2 Tests due to personal reasons, received Test cap No. 310 and will bat in injured KL Rahul's spot.

Patidar has been in sensational form lately, striking a 151 in his most recent first-class outing for India A against England Lions. Before that, he made 111 in a two-day game against the same opponents, culminating in his maiden call-up to the Test squad last week.

At his first net session with the national team in Visakhapatnam, he had an opportunity to interact with someone he hadn't spoken to a whole lot. "I have played with many of the players [who are in the Test team] in domestic cricket. I have been speaking to Rahul [Dravid] sir when I have been around him," Patidar said. "I hadn't spoken much with Rohit [Sharma] bhai earlier but got a chance to speak to him about batting on this tour. He shares his experience. That's given me confidence."

Soon after the toss and the squad announcement, fans took to social media to praise the young man and hope he performs to his potential.

As for KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja, both have been sidelined due to injury. Jadeja is out due to a hamstring issue, while Rahul is dealing with pain in his right quadriceps. Additionally, Mohammed Siraj has been rested.

Teams:

India (Playing XI): Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rohit Sharma(c), Shubman Gill, Rajat Patidar, Shreyas Iyer, Srikar Bharat(w), Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mukesh Kumar

England (Playing XI): Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Stokes(c), Ben Foakes(w), Rehan Ahmed, Tom Hartley, Shoaib Bashir, James Anderson

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