CHENNAI: At the Nondescripts Cricket Club, Colombo, the Indian team were sweating it all out on Wednesday morning. It was their first training session as a group after landing in Sri Lanka and Shubman Gill-led side will be keen to get acclimatised and go into the zone before the first Test begins in Galle next week. As they train over the next few days leading up to the solitary warm-up fixture, all eyes will be on one of the batters who might get a chance in this series — Devdutt Padikkal.
The 26-year-old from Karnataka has not had it easy with his Test career. Since making his debut against England in Dharamsala in early 2024, he has got to play all of one match — in Perth later that year when Rohit Sharma was on paternity leave. He missed the England tour due to injury, but since then, Padikkal has been warming the bench, waiting for a chance to secure his spot in the playing XI.
That, however, has not deterred Padikkal. The lanky swashbuckling left-hander from Bengaluru has made merry whenever and wherever he has played in the last 18 months. He smashed 543 runs in Ranji Trophy for Karnataka at 76.47, before leading them into the final. He followed it up with a stellar season for Royal Challengers Bengaluru — 464 runs at 33.14 average and 168.72 strike rate. Then, Padikkal went to Sri Lanka with India A scoring 94, 12 and 67 in the three innings he batted. Now, with B Sai Sudharsan racing against the clock to get fit in time and join the team, Padikkal is likely to replace the fellow leftie if the Tamil Nadu batter misses out in the first Test at least.
The thing with Padikkal though is whether he gets a chance in Galle or not becomes secondary. The Bengaluru lad has put in the hard yards from his side to make sure he is ready even if that does not happen. After returning from the Padikkal turned up for Mysuru Warriors in the Maharaja Trophy eliminator.
With his team getting knocked out, he turned his focus to red-ball cricket once again with his coach Mohammed Naseeruddin of Karnataka Institute Of Cricket (KIOC). Over the course of eight days, the 26-year-old had four sessions (alternate days) sweating it out against the red-ball. "He used to come after 10 am in the mornings following his gym and workout sessions. Then, we would spend time batting for close to 2-2.5 hours with red Kookaburra balls," Naseeruddin told this daily.
While there is no doubt about Padikkal's prolific all-format ability as a batter, the Bengaluru batter knows the minor adjustments he will have to make for the longer format. Whether it is staying lower than he does in his stance or spending long hours in batting simulations, or preparing for specific bowling threats — in this case Prabath Jayasuriya, the Lankan left-arm spinner — he is keen on ticking all the boxes.
"We had arranged pitches to replicate the conditions. Even Prasidh (Krishna) was also here; he bowled to Padikkal as well. Each and every session he had, we ensured there were at least two-three left-arm spinners of different kinds — tall, short, or medium height. We arranged each kind of bowler so that he could adapt to different variations and everything. We know how much spinners will come into play in Test cricket," Naseeruddin explained. Following the rigorous training sessions, he took a short break and went on a trip to Indonesia with his friends to switch off mentally and remain fresh before joining the Indian team.
'Captaincy brings out the best in him'
One of the aspects where Padikkal's childhood coach credits the youngster is how he has taken to leadership with the state team. In the middle of the Ranji season last year, Padikkal was appointed captain in red-ball cricket and soon, he turned into a beast. In the four matches he captained, Padikkal smashed 428 runs at 85.6 average including two hundreds (one of them was a double ton).
The transformation did not take long either. In the very first match as captain against Punjab, Karnataka had to chase 250 in 40 overs to qualify for knockouts. Padikkal came out all guns blazing, smashing unbeaten 120 off 85 balls to take them over the line in 28 overs.
"As soon as he became the captain, the innings he played against Punjab, I think. That changed the whole scenario of his batting. I asked him, 'Do you have any burden as a captain?' He said, 'nothing, sir. I am relaxed. And it's good for me also'. As a captain, you know what all things to do. Otherwise, you have to depend on somebody else's decision. So, he can make his own decision in batting." recalls Naseeruddin, before adding, "It is very tough as it is to get into the Indian team. With him, he is very clear that no matter where he bats his role is to make sure he capitalises on the opportunity. We have seen so many people still waiting. He is very mentally strong, prepared for any scenario."
Ask Naseeruddin what he wishes for his ward if he gets a chance in Sri Lanka, the reply is quick. "I am waiting for his first hundred. That first Test hundred. When gets that first, god-willing he will get his second also."
Whenever he takes the field, Padikkal and Indian cricket would not want anything else either from the 26-year-old.