{"id":14033,"date":"2026-06-03T15:42:48","date_gmt":"2026-06-03T15:42:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/1win.za.com\/ipl\/michael-clarke-wants-rajat-patidar-first-in-line-for-india-call-up"},"modified":"2026-06-03T15:42:48","modified_gmt":"2026-06-03T15:42:48","slug":"michael-clarke-wants-rajat-patidar-first-in-line-for-india-call-up","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/1win.za.com\/ipl\/michael-clarke-wants-rajat-patidar-first-in-line-for-india-call-up","title":{"rendered":"Michael Clarke Wants Rajat Patidar First in Line for India Call-Up"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Rajat Patidar\u2019s momentum in the IPL kept building in 2026, with the Royal Challengers Bengaluru captain steering the franchise to a second consecutive title. With the tournament crown defended after lifting it the previous year, Patidar\u2019s influence extended beyond his batting contributions\u2014his captaincy also helped RCB sustain the momentum that had carried them to glory in the earlier season.<\/p>\n<h2>Patidar\u2019s 2026 batting impact<\/h2>\n<p>In another key middle-order role, Patidar produced a season full of decisive knocks. He finished with 501 runs while striking at 192.69, a return that underlined how often he managed to swing games in RCB\u2019s favour at crucial stages.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>He scored 501 runs across IPL 2026.<\/li>\n<li>His strike rate was 192.69, reflecting an aggressive approach when the match demanded acceleration.<\/li>\n<li>Patidar repeatedly delivered under pressure\u2014stabilising the innings after early setbacks and then switching gears to chase rapid totals when RCB needed quick runs.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Why Michael Clarke believes Patidar is underrated<\/h2>\n<p>Despite those contributions, former Australia captain Michael Clarke feels Patidar has not been given the level of spotlight his performances deserve. Speaking on the Beyond23 Cricket Podcast, Clarke described the RCB skipper as one of the most underrated performers of IPL 2026, pointing to the attention typically drawn by Virat Kohli as a reason others can be overlooked.<\/p>\n<p>Clarke\u2019s view was that Patidar has consistently done the hard work\u2014both in how he leads and in how he gets the best out of the group\u2014while also delivering personally in a demanding batting position.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Clarke called Patidar \u201cunder the radar\u201d despite a standout tournament.<\/li>\n<li>He argued that when Virat Kohli is in the team, the conversation naturally centres on Kohli, which can reduce attention on other key players.<\/li>\n<li>Clarke praised Patidar for his exceptional leadership style and for maximising the performance of teammates.<\/li>\n<li>He highlighted Patidar\u2019s own batting in the difficult middle order as \u201cfantastic\u201d.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Back-to-back titles and growing captaincy credentials<\/h2>\n<p>For Clarke, Patidar\u2019s improvement as a leader has been particularly clear over the last two seasons. Under his captaincy, RCB evolved from a side that had spent years chasing a first major title into a team capable of winning championships in consecutive seasons.<\/p>\n<p>Clarke believes those achievements should place Patidar firmly in discussions about India\u2019s short-format setup, stressing that his leadership and middle-order batting profile make him a strong fit for T20 cricket.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Clarke noted that RCB\u2019s transformation happened during Patidar\u2019s tenure as captain.<\/li>\n<li>He said the back-to-back IPL triumphs are achievements selectors cannot ignore.<\/li>\n<li>He argued that Patidar\u2019s batting at No. 4 is especially valuable because it is one of the toughest roles in T20s.<\/li>\n<li>Clarke suggested that Patidar \u201cexplodes\u201d after arriving at that position, underlining his impact during decisive phases.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>White-ball chances, India recall and ODI possibilities<\/h2>\n<p>With competition for places intense in Indian cricket, Clarke believes Patidar has done enough to push his name towards the front of the queue for white-ball opportunities. He pointed out that India\u2019s current talent pool is deep, but insisted that captaining a team to successive IPL titles should ensure Patidar remains on the radar of the BCCI and Indian selectors.<\/p>\n<p>Clarke went further, indicating that Patidar could even be considered beyond T20s. While whether he will captain India remains uncertain, Clarke believes Patidar\u2019s leadership qualities and match-winning middle-order contributions justify ongoing attention.<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Clarke said India has a lot of talent at the moment, with many players competing for spots through IPL performances.<\/li>\n<li>He argued that back-to-back IPL success as captain should place Patidar in the selectors\u2019 thoughts.<\/li>\n<li>He stated that Patidar\u2019s name should be high in the T20 pecking order.<\/li>\n<li>He added that Patidar could potentially be viewed for ODI cricket as well.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>With 501 runs, a strike rate nearing 200, and another IPL trophy as captain, Patidar\u2019s case has become increasingly difficult to dismiss. Whether that momentum results in an India recall is still to be seen, but Clarke\u2019s position is clear: the RCB skipper has earned a place in the conversation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Rajat Patidar\u2019s momentum in the IPL kept building in 2026, with the Royal Challengers Bengaluru captain steering the franchise to a second consecutive title. With&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":14032,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_title":"IPL 2026: Michael Clarke Backs Rajat Patidar for India Call-Up","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"IPL 2026: Michael Clarke backs Rajat Patidar as India\u2019s next call-up after RCB captaincy brilliance and back-to-back title success.","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14033","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ipl"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>IPL 2026: Michael Clarke Backs Rajat Patidar for India Call-Up<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"IPL 2026: Michael Clarke backs Rajat Patidar as India\u2019s next call-up after RCB captaincy brilliance and back-to-back title success.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/1win.za.com\/ipl\/michael-clarke-wants-rajat-patidar-first-in-line-for-india-call-up\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"IPL 2026: Michael Clarke Backs Rajat Patidar for India Call-Up\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"IPL 2026: Michael Clarke backs Rajat Patidar as India\u2019s next call-up after RCB captaincy brilliance and back-to-back title success.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/1win.za.com\/ipl\/michael-clarke-wants-rajat-patidar-first-in-line-for-india-call-up\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"1Win India\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-06-03T15:42:48+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/1win.za.com\/ipl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/rajat-patidar-must-front-queue-aacd.webp\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1259\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"699\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/webp\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Arjun Patel\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Arjun Patel\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/1win.za.com\\\/ipl\\\/michael-clarke-wants-rajat-patidar-first-in-line-for-india-call-up#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/1win.za.com\\\/ipl\\\/michael-clarke-wants-rajat-patidar-first-in-line-for-india-call-up\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Arjun Patel\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/1win.za.com\\\/ipl\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/9aac810730409fd3131f08f34023f33e\"},\"headline\":\"Michael Clarke Wants Rajat Patidar First in Line for India Call-Up\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-03T15:42:48+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/1win.za.com\\\/ipl\\\/michael-clarke-wants-rajat-patidar-first-in-line-for-india-call-up\"},\"wordCount\":676,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/1win.za.com\\\/ipl\\\/michael-clarke-wants-rajat-patidar-first-in-line-for-india-call-up#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/1win.za.com\\\/ipl\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/rajat-patidar-must-front-queue-aacd.webp\",\"articleSection\":[\"IPL\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/1win.za.com\\\/ipl\\\/michael-clarke-wants-rajat-patidar-first-in-line-for-india-call-up#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/1win.za.com\\\/ipl\\\/michael-clarke-wants-rajat-patidar-first-in-line-for-india-call-up\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/1win.za.com\\\/ipl\\\/michael-clarke-wants-rajat-patidar-first-in-line-for-india-call-up\",\"name\":\"IPL 2026: Michael Clarke Backs Rajat Patidar for India Call-Up\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/1win.za.com\\\/ipl\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/1win.za.com\\\/ipl\\\/michael-clarke-wants-rajat-patidar-first-in-line-for-india-call-up#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/1win.za.com\\\/ipl\\\/michael-clarke-wants-rajat-patidar-first-in-line-for-india-call-up#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/1win.za.com\\\/ipl\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/rajat-patidar-must-front-queue-aacd.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-03T15:42:48+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/1win.za.com\\\/ipl\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/9aac810730409fd3131f08f34023f33e\"},\"description\":\"IPL 2026: Michael Clarke backs Rajat Patidar as India\u2019s next call-up after RCB captaincy brilliance and back-to-back title success.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/1win.za.com\\\/ipl\\\/michael-clarke-wants-rajat-patidar-first-in-line-for-india-call-up#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/1win.za.com\\\/ipl\\\/michael-clarke-wants-rajat-patidar-first-in-line-for-india-call-up\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/1win.za.com\\\/ipl\\\/michael-clarke-wants-rajat-patidar-first-in-line-for-india-call-up#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/1win.za.com\\\/ipl\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/rajat-patidar-must-front-queue-aacd.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/1win.za.com\\\/ipl\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/rajat-patidar-must-front-queue-aacd.webp\",\"width\":1259,\"height\":699},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/1win.za.com\\\/ipl\\\/michael-clarke-wants-rajat-patidar-first-in-line-for-india-call-up#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/1win.za.com\\\/ipl\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Michael Clarke Wants Rajat Patidar First in Line for India Call-Up\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/1win.za.com\\\/ipl\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/1win.za.com\\\/ipl\\\/\",\"name\":\"1Win India\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/1win.za.com\\\/ipl\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/1win.za.com\\\/ipl\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/9aac810730409fd3131f08f34023f33e\",\"name\":\"Arjun Patel\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/3f44e79409232be03c88b435f2c295c5262fa91dfa5e23870d29241063bbaf5d?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/3f44e79409232be03c88b435f2c295c5262fa91dfa5e23870d29241063bbaf5d?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/3f44e79409232be03c88b435f2c295c5262fa91dfa5e23870d29241063bbaf5d?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Arjun Patel\"},\"description\":\"Cricket analyst and sports writer with over 10 years of experience covering international and domestic matches. Specializes in match predictions, player performance analysis, and data-driven insights, with a strong focus on the Indian Premier League\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/1win.za.com\\\/ipl\\\/author\\\/arjunpatel\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"IPL 2026: Michael Clarke Backs Rajat Patidar for India Call-Up","description":"IPL 2026: Michael Clarke backs Rajat Patidar as India\u2019s next call-up after RCB captaincy brilliance and back-to-back title success.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/1win.za.com\/ipl\/michael-clarke-wants-rajat-patidar-first-in-line-for-india-call-up","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"IPL 2026: Michael Clarke Backs Rajat Patidar for India Call-Up","og_description":"IPL 2026: Michael Clarke backs Rajat Patidar as India\u2019s next call-up after RCB captaincy brilliance and back-to-back title success.","og_url":"https:\/\/1win.za.com\/ipl\/michael-clarke-wants-rajat-patidar-first-in-line-for-india-call-up","og_site_name":"1Win India","article_published_time":"2026-06-03T15:42:48+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1259,"height":699,"url":"https:\/\/1win.za.com\/ipl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/rajat-patidar-must-front-queue-aacd.webp","type":"image\/webp"}],"author":"Arjun Patel","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Arjun Patel","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/1win.za.com\/ipl\/michael-clarke-wants-rajat-patidar-first-in-line-for-india-call-up#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/1win.za.com\/ipl\/michael-clarke-wants-rajat-patidar-first-in-line-for-india-call-up"},"author":{"name":"Arjun Patel","@id":"https:\/\/1win.za.com\/ipl\/#\/schema\/person\/9aac810730409fd3131f08f34023f33e"},"headline":"Michael Clarke Wants Rajat Patidar First in Line for India Call-Up","datePublished":"2026-06-03T15:42:48+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/1win.za.com\/ipl\/michael-clarke-wants-rajat-patidar-first-in-line-for-india-call-up"},"wordCount":676,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/1win.za.com\/ipl\/michael-clarke-wants-rajat-patidar-first-in-line-for-india-call-up#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/1win.za.com\/ipl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/rajat-patidar-must-front-queue-aacd.webp","articleSection":["IPL"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/1win.za.com\/ipl\/michael-clarke-wants-rajat-patidar-first-in-line-for-india-call-up#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/1win.za.com\/ipl\/michael-clarke-wants-rajat-patidar-first-in-line-for-india-call-up","url":"https:\/\/1win.za.com\/ipl\/michael-clarke-wants-rajat-patidar-first-in-line-for-india-call-up","name":"IPL 2026: Michael Clarke Backs Rajat Patidar for India Call-Up","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/1win.za.com\/ipl\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/1win.za.com\/ipl\/michael-clarke-wants-rajat-patidar-first-in-line-for-india-call-up#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/1win.za.com\/ipl\/michael-clarke-wants-rajat-patidar-first-in-line-for-india-call-up#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/1win.za.com\/ipl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/rajat-patidar-must-front-queue-aacd.webp","datePublished":"2026-06-03T15:42:48+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/1win.za.com\/ipl\/#\/schema\/person\/9aac810730409fd3131f08f34023f33e"},"description":"IPL 2026: Michael Clarke backs Rajat Patidar as India\u2019s next call-up after RCB captaincy brilliance and back-to-back title success.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/1win.za.com\/ipl\/michael-clarke-wants-rajat-patidar-first-in-line-for-india-call-up#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/1win.za.com\/ipl\/michael-clarke-wants-rajat-patidar-first-in-line-for-india-call-up"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/1win.za.com\/ipl\/michael-clarke-wants-rajat-patidar-first-in-line-for-india-call-up#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/1win.za.com\/ipl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/rajat-patidar-must-front-queue-aacd.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/1win.za.com\/ipl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/rajat-patidar-must-front-queue-aacd.webp","width":1259,"height":699},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/1win.za.com\/ipl\/michael-clarke-wants-rajat-patidar-first-in-line-for-india-call-up#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/1win.za.com\/ipl\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Michael Clarke Wants Rajat Patidar First in Line for India Call-Up"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/1win.za.com\/ipl\/#website","url":"https:\/\/1win.za.com\/ipl\/","name":"1Win India","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/1win.za.com\/ipl\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/1win.za.com\/ipl\/#\/schema\/person\/9aac810730409fd3131f08f34023f33e","name":"Arjun Patel","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/3f44e79409232be03c88b435f2c295c5262fa91dfa5e23870d29241063bbaf5d?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/3f44e79409232be03c88b435f2c295c5262fa91dfa5e23870d29241063bbaf5d?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/3f44e79409232be03c88b435f2c295c5262fa91dfa5e23870d29241063bbaf5d?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Arjun Patel"},"description":"Cricket analyst and sports writer with over 10 years of experience covering international and domestic matches. Specializes in match predictions, player performance analysis, and data-driven insights, with a strong focus on the Indian Premier League","url":"https:\/\/1win.za.com\/ipl\/author\/arjunpatel"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/1win.za.com\/ipl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14033","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/1win.za.com\/ipl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/1win.za.com\/ipl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/1win.za.com\/ipl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/1win.za.com\/ipl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14033"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/1win.za.com\/ipl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14033\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/1win.za.com\/ipl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14032"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/1win.za.com\/ipl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14033"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/1win.za.com\/ipl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14033"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/1win.za.com\/ipl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14033"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}