"I was blank" - Rajat Patidar opens up on heartwarming moment with Virat Kohli during RCB event before IPL 2025 [Watch]

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) captain Rajat Patidar has said that he went blank when former skipper Virat Kohli gave him a plaque during the "RCB Unbox" event, before the start of IPL 2025. The 31-year-old revealed that the batting talisman told him he had deserved and earned the right to hold the plaque.

Patidar was named RCB captain in February 2025, taking over from Faf du Plessis who was released by the franchise ahead of the mega auctions in November 2024.

“I was blank when he told me to hold the plaque. While giving it to me, he said, ‘You deserve it, you earned it.’ So I felt a little bit okay. I mean, when Virat said this to me, I became normal in that situation," Patidar said on the RCB Podcast.

The right-hander said that he tried to learn as much as he could by watching Kohli bat in the nets. He admitted that no one else possessed the kind of experience that the 36-year-old did.

“Whenever he (Kohli) bats in the nets, I watch his batting. I learn as much as I can from him. It is also an opportunity that I am playing, and now I have the captaincy, and he is with me. So I learn as much as I can from him (Kohli). Because of the amount of experience and ideas that he has, no one else has the same," he said.

From being a replacement player to become RCB captain: The Rajat Patidar story

Rajat Patidar first came into the RCB setup in 2022, as a replacement player for the injured Luvnith Sisodia. He made an impact at a crucial juncture of the season for RCB, when his unbeaten knock of 112 helped his side beat Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the Eliminator clash.

After missing the 2023 IPL season, the Madhya Pradesh right-hander came into his own in IPL 2024 where he made 395 runs in 15 matches, helping RCB qualify for the Playoffs.

RCB face Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on Saturday, May 17, when IPL 2025 resumes after a nine-day break.