Royal Challengers Bengaluru all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer has backed Rajat Patidar to be a regular in the Indian team. Patidar was able to lead RCB from the front and played a key role in taking the team to glory for the second time in a row.

The RCB captain amassed 501 runs in 14 innings at an average of 41.75 and a strike rate of 192.69 in the recently concluded season. Patidar took the attack on the opposition bowlers in the middle overs and made a huge difference with his aggressive approach.

Recalling the first impression, Iyer said Patidar was able to impress one and all when he started playing the Ranji Trophy for Madhya Pradesh.

“Phenomenal. I think he’s done what nobody believed he could do. I didn’t believe he could a few years back, pleasantly surprised by the way he carried himself on the field. It’s just a matter of when, rather than if or could he. It had to happen. And this is not me talking about 2021-22 or something. This is something that not just me, the entire MP team thought in 2016-17 when I began my Ranji Trophy days,” Iyer was quoted as saying to NDTV.

“This fellow does not belong here. He belongs in the top tier. He’s meant for bigger things. When he virtually hadn’t even scored a lot in Ranji Trophy — this is, I’m talking about like 10 years back — at that time, we were all thinking, ‘What’s he doing here? He should be a regular in India.’ Quality, this, that. So it had to happen. Late, but good things eventually happen to good people,” he added.

Patidar has done a terrific job for RCB in the last couple of seasons and deserves a lot of credit for the team’s success.