Madhya Pradesh captain Rajat Patidar has been passed fit by the BCCI Centre of Excellence and will link up with the squad in Kolkata on Friday, in time for the third round of Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy fixtures on 30 November.
The 32-year-old right-hander has spent the past four weeks on the sidelines with what team staff described as “a niggle in the left knee”. The discomfort first surfaced during MP’s opening Ranji clash against Punjab on 15 October and flared up again while he was turning out for India A at the end of that month. Two Ranji matches came and went without him, yet a 10-day rehabilitation block in Bengaluru has now produced the all-important return-to-play certificate.
Medical head Dr Srinivas Bharadwaj said the tests were “routine but thorough”, adding, “He ticked every box — strength, range and, crucially, pain-free load-bearing. There was no reason to hold him back.”
Patidar has already resumed batting practice and, by all accounts, has not lost his timing. A coach who watched a mid-week net in Indore noted, “The bat was still making that same sound; he looks ready.”
Before the setback, Patidar’s season had begun in blistering fashion. A double-hundred against Punjab opened his Ranji account, followed by two further centuries and a pair of fifties while leading Central Zone to the Duleep Trophy. Those runs continued the high he carried out of the IPL, where he captained Royal Challengers Bengaluru to their first title.
The upcoming SMAT will be his first white-ball appearance since that IPL triumph and his first competitive outing since taking over full-time captaincy duties from Shubham Sharma. Madhya Pradesh finished runners-up in last year’s tournament, with Patidar second on the overall run chart: 428 runs in nine knocks, strike-rate 186, a competition-best 27 sixes.
Team-mate Avesh Khan welcomed the news. “Having Rajat back just settles the dressing-room,” the fast bowler said. “He scores his runs and the rest of us can play our roles.”
Madhya Pradesh face Services on Sunday, and barring any late flare-up the skipper is expected to slot straight in at No. 3.
