DHARAMSALA: It was the fourth ball of the seventh over. Jasprit Bumrah had just delivered the perfect outswinger. It pitched on middle and leg-stump before seaming away from Zak Crawley. The English batter had tried to play it to mid-wicket but the ball seamed past the outside edge before bouncing over the stumps. A collective 'oooh' was the response, including from Crawley.
The next ball, a good length delivery outside off-stump, saw Crawley pushing at it with hard hands. The ball took the outside edge and flew past gully to the boundary. Diving in vain at gully was a 6 ft. 3’ tall debutant, Devdutt Padikkal, in the fifth Test between India and England here.
He attempted a full-length dive, got back up in no time before standing in his position for the next delivery. The way he moved on the field at that moment, and on several other occasions later, would seem like a regular affair. There were no signs of nerves.
Instead, he was in his zone. If one has watched Padikkal play in domestic tournaments or even the Indian Premier League, one would know that his demeanour is very similar. But this is the biggest stage. He had just received his India Test cap — No 314. And yet, there he was in his own unassuming self. At the heart of Padikkal's story is his parent's support over the years. The family gave their sweat and life so that he could pursue his dream through hard work and dedication, pain and struggle.
Padikkal's parents — Babunu Kunnath and Ambili Padikkal — had already decided to help their second child to become a cricketer as soon as he was born. Yet, until he turned 11, things were not moving as per plan. The Malayali family, based out of Hyderabad, realised their son was not getting the necessary attention and decided to take a leap of faith. In pursuit of the dream, the family shifted to Bengaluru and enrolled Padikkal at the Karnataka Institute Of Cricket (KIOC) academy under Mohammed Naseeruddin. However, it was not an easy start. As is often the case with any new kid on the block, people were not aware that he could bat. For the first eight days, all he did was bowl. A dejected Padikkal went back home in tears.
Realising what had happened, Kunnath brought Padikkal to meet Naseeruddin. "His father asked me to take a look at his batting. One look at him, I understood he has something special," Naseeruddin recalls. At 12, Padikkal was put in the U-14 category and understanding that he was taking on the bowlers easily, Naseeruddin shifted him to U-16. "He never used to miss training. He got to bat every day and he was happy about it. That is all he wanted. He came and batted," says the KIOC coach.
"They (parents) had rested their hopes on the kid. When they came to KIOC, it was famous because players from across the country come and train. They thought it would be good for their son's future. One day, his dad came up to me and said, 'this is my boy, I have given him to you. Now, it's up to you what you make of him'. He was very dedicated. Every day, every weekend I used to call him. His dad will bring him and we used to work on his technique and correct the errors, he never wasted any time. At that age, the hard work he put in was incredible," he added.
Naseeruddin still remembers one match between Army Public school, where Padikkal was initially studying, and St Joseph's Boys' High School. "He single-handedly won the match for Army School. Such was his domination that St. Joseph's wanted him badly. He got admitted there and from there his age-group journey began," recalls Padikkal's childhood coach.
As Padikkal rose through the ranks in Karnataka cricket, he made a mark in the Karnataka Premier League, now known as Maharaja T20 Trophy. Then, he broke into the Ranji setup in 2018, and the state white-ball team in 2019. Immediately, Padikkal showed what he was capable of, amassing over 1200 runs across both the white-ball format. He was signed by Royal Challengers Bangalore and would go on to make his IPL debut in the 2020 season. When a second string white-ball side toured Sri Lanka in 2021, the Karnataka batter was handed his India T20I cap. He was only 21 then.
Just when it seemed like he had made it to the big stage, Padikkal contracted Covid in early 2021. And then, he faced health issues. However, even through this troubling period, the one thing that never changed was his desire to bat and train. "Despite all that pain, he kept training. He had stopped eating outside food because of a stomach problem. His mom would send home-cooked food. He will train, take a break to eat and rest and then train again," says Naseeruddin.
It all paid off as Padikkal piled 747 runs at an average of 83 in first-class cricket (at home) this season, including a match-defining 193 against Tamil Nadu at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in the Ranji Trophy last month. Watching Padikkal smash left-arm spinners R Sai Kishore and S Ajith Ram from the stands was senior men's selection committee chairman Ajit Agarkar. Talk about being in the right place at the right time.
The 23-year-old was drafted into the India squad for the last three Tests against England. Naseeruddin attributes this success to his hard work and mental resilience. "Looking at him, most people might think he is adamant or not interested, but he is very down to earth and does what he likes — which is batting — and does not stress too much otherwise," he says.
The Test cap did not come right away. He had to wait for it. It eventually did on Thursday morning, as Rajat Patidar got injured in the nets on the eve of the fifth Test. "It is really great feeling, after all the hard work he has put in, to see him get the India Test cap, it is very rewarding for Karnataka, for KIOC academy. Everyone in the academy is feeling proud," said a proud Naseeruddin, who is currently in Sri Lanka.
His work ethic and love for batting could take him even higher in the days to come.
