A rising star who started his Indian Premier League (IPL) career with Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), Devdutt Padikkal has begun afresh after being signed by Rajasthan Royals (RR) for Rs 7.75 crores at the 2022 mega auction. The opener won the Emerging Player of the Season during the 2020 season, and even went on to make his debut for the national team in a T20I against Sri Lanka in July 2021.
Padikkal recently came on the podcast Greatness Starts Here and spoke about his emotions after scoring his maiden century in the IPL, which came against his current team RR in IPL 2021. He also shared an incident with former RCB skipper Virat Kohli, which took place just after he scored his first century.
“It's an incredible feeling. When you get a hundred in any team in any tournament in any match, the feeling when you're back in the dressing room, it’s a feeling of pure satisfaction. And to have people like AB (de Villiers), VK (Kohli), (Glenn) Maxwell and coach Simon Katich, appreciating my performance is all I could ask for as a youngster in the team," Padikkal said.
"One thing I remember very clearly was that Virat Kohli was being followed by a video camera, and he told the camera person, ‘Go to Devdutt; he's the main man today.’ That memory just gives me goosebumps,” the batter added.
Having played for Karnataka at domestic level, Padikkal also attributed his quick success in the IPL to his experience playing for Bellary Tuskers in the Karnataka Premier League (KPL), “The KPL experience was really important for me because it was a really high-quality tournament. We had some crunch games in which I felt that I was able to really perform for the side when it mattered.
"That's something I try to carry forward into the IPL as well – just taking that responsibility for the team and trying to be the main man who gets the team over the line. So I feel that was a really big stepping stone for me.”
His exploits in the IPL earned him a much-deserved call-up to the national team, and the 21-year-old scored 38 runs in two matches during the T20I series against Sri Lanka in Colombo back in July 2021. “Playing for India is the biggest achievement I could ask for. Playing cricket for your country is the ultimate goal for every cricketer so that was definitely the biggest moment in my life and my career. Wearing those India colours, putting on that cap, and playing for all the Indian fans – it was an experience that I will never forget,” he said.
“In an ideal world, I want to win a trophy for every possible tournament that I play in. That means the World Cup and the IPL, and obviously the World Test Championship as well," an ambitious Padikkal added.
And now, with RR, Padikkal has scored 114 runs in four matches in the ongoing series. His highest score came against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in their first match of the season. With the inaugural IPL champions currently occupying the top spot, a lot of the responsibility will fall on the opener's shoulders.
