BENGALURU: Consistent. It is an apt word to describe Devdutt Padikkal’s batting in the last couple of years. Let his numbers do the talking: 580 and 218 runs in the last two editions of Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and 609 and 737 in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. Throw in his 473 runs for Royal Challengers Bangalore last IPL season in the mix, the youngsters’s engine looks well oiled for the long run. It is not a bad start for a 20-year-old, who made his first-class debut in 2018.
On Thursday, the Bangalore opener, once again, made everyone sit up and take notice with his maiden IPL century (52-ball unbeaten 101) against Rajasthan Royals. Even Virat Kohli was made to look second best on the night. With players having been dubbed as one-season wonders in the past, Padikkal has made it clear that last season’s tally was not a flash in the pan.
Ahead of this IPL edition, he tested positive for Covid-19 and after clearing the mandatory fitness tests, has carried his form. Last IPL in the UAE, one of Padikkal’s issue was he struggled to make use of the good starts. Though he batted through most of the powerplay overs, he couldn’t get as many boundaries in the middle overs. On Thursday, he hit four sixes and as many boundaries outside the powerplay against Rajasthan. The other notable improvement is his six-hitting ability.
The left-hander, thanks to his height, has the ability to loft bowlers effortlessly by making use of his wing span. It allows him to play more aerial shots and his six sixes on the night is just two short of last season’s tally. That Padikkal has worked on areas that needed improvement is showing.
“Since the last two seasons, I have just tried to keep everything simple, and not done anything different or special. I have tried to stick to my processes and tried to stay as consistent as possible. Thankfully, I have done that,” said Padikkal. “Coming out of Covid definitely was a big challenge. I was glad that I could contribute from the second game. As long as I am contributing and the team is winning, that is all that matters.”