Aakash Chopra approached Rajat Patidar for his podcast. Patidar did not hesitate.
“Sir, I have refused many people for the podcast, so I won’t be able to do yours either.”
Rajat Patidar to Aakash Chopra, September 2026
Chopra revealed the exchange during a YouTube Q&A with fans. When asked whether popular Indian cricketers had turned down his podcast invitations, he confirmed Patidar declined outright. Mohammed Shami, by contrast, asked to postpone. Chopra said he took it well and would keep trying.
This was not a slight against Chopra. Patidar has refused everyone.
🚨 PATIDAR DECLINED AAKASH CHOPRA 🚨
Aakash Chopra approached Rajat Patidar for a podcast but Rajat Patidar declined saying — “Sir, I’ve refused many people for the podcast, so I won’t be able to do yours either.”
Patidar is yet to be a regular for India. And that’s why I would…
— Pratyush Halder (@pratyush_no7) September 20, 2026
The RCB captain has built a pattern of controlled silence that stretches well beyond one podcast refusal. Before the IPL 2026 final, when reporters asked about India T20I selection, he shut it down in one line: “No, I am not looking forward to the possibility of getting selected for those tours.” After winning back-to-back titles, joining MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma as the only captains to achieve consecutive IPL championships, he described his own leadership in five words: “I am not expressive but at the same time I am aware of the game situation.”
No celebration interviews. No podcast circuits. No opinion-sharing on teammates or selectors. Just runs and trophies.
The strategy makes sense when you understand where Patidar sits in Indian cricket right now. He is 33 years old. He has played three Tests for India, all during the England home series in early 2024. He has not been picked since. Despite 813 runs in 28 IPL innings since 2025 at a strike rate of 170.44, selectors overlooked him for India’s T20I squads to Ireland, England, and the Asian Games. The reason, according to reports, was age. Patidar would be 35 by the 2028 T20 World Cup. The selectors picked Shreyas Iyer as T20I captain instead, prioritizing long-term planning.
That leaves Patidar in the most uncomfortable position in professional cricket. Not a regular. Not an outsider. Successful enough to be approached by every major podcast and media outlet in the country. Not secure enough in international cricket to speak freely.
Insider Read
When you are not a regular in the national side, every word you say publicly carries weight you cannot control. Selectors watch. Team management listens. Support staff reads. A comment about a teammate’s form, an opinion on the coach’s methods, a throwaway line about selection policy. One sentence, taken out of context or reported with a twist, can shift how a dressing room sees you before you have even walked in.
The players who have earned the right to speak freely, a Kohli or a Dhoni, earned it over years of being untouchable in the squad. Patidar has not reached that point. He knows it. And he knows that in an ecosystem as politically charged as Indian cricket, the safest play for a player in his position is to say nothing at all.
Chopra, to his credit, understood. His response to the refusal was simple: “It’s okay.” He told fans he would keep sending texts and wait. That is the dynamic at play. Chopra’s career as a commentator and content creator depends on access to players. Patidar’s career as a cricketer who still wants an India recall depends on controlling that access.
Two professionals. Opposite incentives. Patidar chose the one that protects his cricket.
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