Before taking over as captain of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), Rajat Patidar, in a casual conversation with a friend, had wondered whether he could be the man to break their IPL title jinx.“Kya pata mein captaan banoo aur RCB jeet jaye (Who knows, I become captain and RCB wins),” childhood friend Abhishek Pathrod remembers what the Madhya Pradesh batsman had said.Patidar may or may not have the ability to see the future, but he has indeed led RCB to back-to-back titles after suffering repeated heartbreaks over the previous 17 seasons.The conversation took place after the franchise had offered him captaincy, a left-field decision as Patidar hadn’t even led at the domestic level.‘We are seeing you as a captain from next season, the franchise had told him at the end of the 2024 season, something the unassuming cricketer wasn’t expecting.Patidar was given some time to consider the offer. “So, when he came home, I told him that he should definitely do it,” recalls Pathrod.However, Patidar didn’t rush to a decision nor showed any excitement on his face.Story continues below this ad“His reaction was that ‘no, first I will do it for the state and see what I feel. After that, I will say yes to them. It’s not like I got an offer from there and I said yes.’ So, he took that decision after a lot of thinking and consideration. It was only after leading his state team that he took the RCB role,” his friend recalled.Madhya Pradesh made him the captain for the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and the Vijay Hazare Trophy. Patidar quickly learnt on the job.Pathrod says Patidar has never taken any decision in haste. It was during that conversation that the cricketer wondered if his captaincy could coincide with RCB finally getting their hands on the elusive trophy, something that Patidar mentioned in their subsequent meeting.The son of an Indore trader who deals in motor pumps and pipes had his own ideas on how to end the title drought. The boy who doesn’t open up easily opened the doors to the winner’s circle.Story continues below this adIt was not just the captaincy; Patidar did more than his share with the bat as well. Those who have seen him since his younger days aren’t surprised by his clarity of thought. Former Madhya Pradesh teammate and pacer Ishwar Pandey explains.“He will face countless balls to perfect his art. He is now getting rewarded for the hard work and sweat he has put in. Another person who should get credit is Amey Khurasiya, for making him what he is today,” Pandey says.No player becomes big overnight, and no player does it alone. Patidar was picked for a Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association (MPCA) under-14 camp where Khurasiya, a former India batsman, took him under his wing.“He (Patidar) was always a man of few words and more action. He was always commitment personified,” Khurasiya says.Story continues below this adIt was Khurasiya who went about chiselling the raw talent. If Patidar was asked to play only drives for hours, he did it. Next day, if the drill was to improve his back-foot play, he followed instructions like an obedient soldier.“Rajat is a child of process and relentless pursuit of excellence. He has sweated a lot,” the coach adds.As a batter, what differentiates him from others is his ability to judge length quicker.“It’s a very big quality for a batsman to see the ball a millisecond early. He takes up his execution position a little early.”Story continues below this adHis unbeaten 93 in Qualifier 1 against Gujarat Titans had many people amazed but back in Raipur, Khurasiya wasn’t.“We have a term called situational effectiveness. You can only be effective when you are mentally aware. Patidar just followed what he has done over the years,” he explains.During his junior days, every coach in Indore used to tell their students that ‘Rajat ke batting dekho (watch Rajat’s batting)’. Pathrod says there was one game where he played with a torn ACL but scored 297. One trait that he continues to display is calmness.“He loves to stay in the moment. You would have seen it in his captaincy too. He may say what needs to be done in the future, but will focus on the present. His calmness hasn’t changed. He opens only to his family and a few friends. He loves to spend time at home,” Pathrod, who has now become a coach in Indore, says.Story continues below this adFrom being unsure about captaincy to finding success as a leader, Patidar has come a long way.