Devudtt Padikkal, 20, of Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), had a debut IPL season to remember all his life. The Kerala-born batter racked up 473 runs including 5 fifty, the most by any batter in his debut season. He scored 7 more runs than his captain Virat Kohli to finish as the top scorer for RCB at the 2020 IPL.
In addition to having the opportunity to play alongside Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers, Devdutt Padikkal also enjoyed some moments of taking on some of the fastest runners in the world. Kagiso Rabada and Anrch Nortje from Delhi Capitals, Jasprit Bumrah and Trent Boult from Mumbai Indians and Jofra Archer from Rajasthan Royals were breathing fire and bowling consistently around 150 kmph throughout the tournament.
When asked if he was baffled playing against the gun sprinters, the Bangalore bastsman said “not really”. He added that there are many bowlers on the domestic circuit who are throwing at a good pace. However, Padikkal, the Emerging Player of the Year at IPL 2020, named the bowler who impressed him the most.
‘Okay, this is something I’m not used to’
The world’s number one T20I bowler in the world, Rashid Khan is someone who challenged Padikkal the most. The starter has admitted that the quality of Rashid Khan’s bowling was something he was not used to. In particular, Sunrisers Hyderabad Rashid, with 16 wickets, was the sixth largest wicket catcher at the recently concluded 2020 IPL.
“Pace, not really, because there are quite a few bowlers who are also quite fast on the national circuit. Probably the only player that I felt was a challenge was [legspinner] Rashid Khan, because he has a great pace and spins the ball at the same time. It is not easy to choose. I think while facing it I felt like, “Okay, this is something I’m not used to,” Padikkal said in an interview with ESPNcricinfo.
Padikkal’s dream is the move for India
The young hitter was not selected on the limited team for the Australia series, but his eyes are on his dream of representing India. His focus is on working on his game and improving before complying when the opportunity comes.
“Now the next step would be to play for the country. It’s something that everyone dreams of as a cricketer, so I hope to do it soon. I will continue to work on my game, continue to improve, and when I take the opportunity, I will take it with both hands.” .
