Former Indian cricketer Sadagoppan Ramesh has fired up at India’s T20I selectors after they left Royal Challengers Bengaluru captain Rajat Patidar out of the national squad for the upcoming tours of Ireland and England. The double IPL-winning captain was completely overlooked, and Ramesh took to his Instagram handle to express strong frustration over this surprising decision.
Ramesh’s Strong Criticism of the Selection Committee
No RCB Players Selected at All
Ramesh pointed out a major contradiction in how the selectors worked. Shreyas Iyer was named India’s new T20I captain based entirely on his IPL form with RCB. Yet, the selectors ignored every single player from Royal Challengers Bengaluru, who are the two-time defending IPL champions. This makes no sense to Ramesh, and he asked why the team that just won back-to-back titles got zero representation.
Patidar’s Incredible Batting Form in IPL 2026
RCB succeeded in winning consecutive IPL trophies in the years 2025 and 2026, both being captained by Rajat Patidar. It can be stated that Rajat Patidar proved himself as someone who could perform exceedingly well as a batter against any bowler during the middle overs of the 2026 IPL.
Below are some statistics from the competition:
| Statistic | Performance Details |
| Total Runs | 501 runs in 14 innings |
| Batting Average | 41.75 |
| Strike Rate | 192.69 |
| Sixes | 42 massive sixes |
| Fours | 30 fours |
SR (Strike Rate) of Patidar in middle overs (12-16) = 216.67, whereas his SR in the last four overs = 278.57. Also, he made 93* runs in just 33 deliveries during Qualifier 1 against the Gujarat Titans, with an SR of 281.82.
“High Time Patidar Gets a Look-In”
Ramesh stated clearly that it is “high time Rajat Patidar at least gets a look-in” as a regular batter in the Indian T20I setup. He believes Patidar’s performances should have earned him a place in the national squad after such an elite season.
Ramesh also added another important suggestion. If the main selectors do not want Patidar for the senior team yet, he must at least be named the captain for the upcoming India A tours. This would give Patidar proper international exposure and leadership experience at the next level.
Other Cricket Experts Join the Criticism
Harbhajan Singh Calls It “Unfair”
Unimpressed by Patidar’s omission, Harbhajan Singh wrote on X after the squad announcement:
“Sad, no Rajat Patidar in the Indian squad. What else does he need to do? Scored 501 runs, strike rate almost 200. Unfair. Easily the best middle order in India. Proper striker with good technique”
Harbhajan felt it was completely unfair to snub the batter despite his impactful performances in IPL 2026.
Kris Srikkanth Doubts Selection Calls
Former India captain and ex-chief selector Krishnamachari Srikkanth also blasted India’s T20I squad for the upcoming Ireland and England series. He said he has doubts about a few selection calls, especially Rajat Patidar not being picked, which “didn’t sit well” with him.
Srikkanth seemed especially bothered that Patidar was left out despite having a huge IPL 2026 season. He compared Patidar to Tilak Varma, noting that Tilak cannot demolish attacks like Patidar can.
Why Patidar Was Overlooked
The BCCI selection committee, led by chief selector Ajit Agarkar, announced India’s 16-member T20I squad on Saturday for the tours of Ireland and England. The squad passed over Patidar entirely, along with Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Krunal Pandya, both integral to RCB’s title run.
The selection committee chose Iyer as captain and retained Tilak Varma at number five, effectively filling the middle order with people they already trusted. With Shreyas Iyer now set to bat at number four, there wasn’t a place for Patidar either.
Some reports suggest the team management wasn’t entirely sure about Patidar’s returns with the bat at the international level, despite his franchise success. Patidar, at the age of 33 years, may not feature in T20I matches for the Indian team if the selectors keep favoring raw talent over experience.
Patidar’s Frustrating Situation
Although Patidar has been able to take Royal Challengers Bengaluru to successive IPL triumphs and deliver one of the best batting performances in IPL 2026, he still could not find a place in the Indian T20I team. It became even more surprising considering the fact that there were quite a few changes made to the Indian T20I team with the promotion of Shreyas Iyer as the captain of the Indian T20I side. Patidar was not picked by India to play in the 2026 Asian Games as well.
