Indore witnessed a truly spectacular innings as Madhya Pradesh captain Rajat Patidar, recently appointed skipper across all formats, smashed his maiden first-class double century against Punjab in a Ranji Trophy 2025-26 match on Friday. This monumental effort has significantly bolstered his case for a national recall, particularly for India’s middle order ahead of the two-Test home series against South Africa.
Patidar’s colossal knock, scoring 200 runs off 328 balls and featuring 26 boundaries, contributed to Punjab reaching 519 for eight before rain intervened. Importantly, this impressive display was witnessed by newly-appointed national selector RP Singh, the former India left-arm pacer. This performance makes Patidar a strong contender for the India A squad for the two-Test series against South Africa A, which is set to commence on October 30 in Bengaluru.
This double hundred marks a new personal best for Patidar, surpassing his previous first-class high score of 196, which he achieved against Tamil Nadu in the 2018 Ranji season. The 32-year-old batter came to the crease at a critical juncture, with his team struggling at 155 for four in response to Punjab’s first-innings total of 232.
Demonstrating immense composure and skill, Patidar then forged a crucial 147-run partnership with Venkatesh Iyer (73), helping Madhya Pradesh not only stabilize their innings but also secure a significant first-innings lead.
The double century is another highlight in what has been an exceptional year for Patidar. He has been in blazing form throughout 2025, amassing 663 runs in his last eight innings, which includes three centuries and three half-centuries.
Earlier this year, Patidar successfully led Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) to their maiden IPL title. Following that, he captained Central Zone to their first Duleep Trophy triumph in a decade, where he showcased remarkable consistency with four consecutive scores of 50 or more, including two centuries in the quarterfinal and final matches against South Zone.
After a challenging Test debut series against England in February 2024, where he managed only 63 runs across three Tests at an average of 10.50, Patidar bounced back strongly in the last Ranji Trophy season. He finished as Madhya Pradesh’s top run-scorer with 529 runs at an average of 48.09, which included one century and two fifties. He also led Madhya Pradesh to the final of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, maintaining his consistent batting performances.
Overall, Rajat Patidar boasts an impressive first-class career record of 5,196 runs in 73 matches, at an average of 44.41, with 16 centuries. His current outstanding form and leadership qualities make a compelling argument for him to receive a national call-up, especially after an unfortunate injury sidelined him from India’s tour of England last summer.