RAIPUR: Post the end of the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) season, Devdutt Padikkal was not sure when he would get a gig again. He had endured a horrible season for Lucknow Super Giants; 38 runs across seven games at an average of 5.43.
When he left to feature in the Border Gavaskar Trophy in Australia later that year, he had already kind of made peace with what lay ahead. He had mentally told himself that he may not be picked at the mega auction.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru signed the southpaw on Day two of the first Test at Perth. Back then, it was assumed that he would be a back-up player.
Fast forward 20 months and the transformation is complete. Right now, he's one of the in-form Indian batters not part of any of the three Indian teams across formats. So it's no surprise to hear him say "I have ambitions of playing in all three formats," during a select RCB media interaction at the team hotel on Monday.
How did the 25-year-old go from not being retained by LSG to knocking on the door of the Indian team in a short span of time? The short answer? Role clarity, a desire to become better and Dinesh Karthik.
A day after the franchise's nerve-shredding last ball win over Mumbai Indians in Raipur, Padikkal spoke about the need to evolve his own game, what RCB did to unlock a new layer to his game and his India aspirations. Excerpts:
On his mindset change between when he first came in and now
Not just my mindset, it's just generally changed among all cricketers. When I started, the template was different. The way you built your innings, the scores you ended up with eventually... 180-190 was considered big and the tempo was different. You have to change now. It's been the same for me and I have made sure that I keep learning. If you don't, you stagnate.
On his strike numbers and the jump, especially in the first 10 balls
I don't really focus on the numbers but I make sure that I have intent from ball one. If that ball is there to be hit, I want to take it. Initially, obviously, maybe 3-4 years ago, my template was such that I wanted to play the first 5-10 deliveries and then find boundaries. Now I want to hit them straight away. That mentality shift is not easy to make. You have to tell yourself that you may not be as consistent but there will be impact.
On conversations with the RCB support staff
It's about giving me confidence and belief that I'm capable of doing that. About trusting the words of the coaches and the plans and methods they are giving me (Karthik, like with the others in the franchise, has spent time working with Padikkal). They believed in my ability to strike from ball one and, to be honest, it puts you in a better frame of mind (as a batter if you are able to score that boundary). And just the way they backed me. Honestly, where I was after LSG, I wasn't even sure if I would be picked because of how bad it was. Them showing faith and believing that I had something to offer. They saw scope of improvement. And I made that shift, a conscious effort to try and change the way I play.
On watching the Indian team and thinking 'you know what, I can be there..."
If cricketers don't have the belief that they can play for the country, they are not doing something right. It's the same thing for me. I have always wanted to play for India and continuously working towards that. I'm really happy with where my game is right now. I am on the right path.