Batting with Virat Kohli, you push to match him and improve: Devdutt Padikkal

On the back of a scintillating performance in the recently-concluded Vijay Hazare Trophy, Devdutt Padikkal gears up for his first IPL season at home. The southpaw was the second-highest run-getter of the tournament, averaging a staggering 147.40. He aggregated 737 runs in 7 innings. In addition to that, he created history by scoring four consecutive centuries. Devdutt joined the elite list of batsmen who have scored the most consecutive centuries in List-A cricket. The other prominent names in the list include Sri Lanka's Kumar Sangakkara, West Indies' Brian Lara and Australia's Michael Hussey. 

In an exclusive interview with Hindustan Times, the youngster spoke about his experience of rubbing shoulders with Virat Kohli and AB De Villiers. It's hard to make an instant impact in your very first IPL season but the 20-year-old dominated the batting charts.  He amassed 473 runs at an average of 31.65, including 5 half-centuries in 15 innings. He was adjudged the Emerging Player of the Tournament for his superlative show with the willow. 

“That was a pretty special experience to have. You get to learn so much from them. The kind of passion and drive they have for the game, the way they play, the way they carry themselves through the busy, long tournament." - Devdutt was quoted as saying to Hindustan Times. 

Devdutt also opened about batting alongside the RCB skipper, Virat Kohli. He feels that the skipper’s live-wire personality encourages an individual to push himself beyond the boundaries of comfort. 

“He plays at such a high level; when you are batting with him, you feel you have to really push yourself and match the standard at which he plays. That helped improve my game. Batting with him, he makes the game pretty easy," - he added. 

When asked about his ultimate goal, the Karnataka batsman said he harbours dreams of representing India in the longest format. 

“The ultimate goal is to play for India in the longest format. In the short term, I am going to focus on each game at a time. That’s what I have tried to do in the past couple of years. It didn’t matter if I was playing IPL or a domestic tournament. I just wanted to make sure every game I play, I make an impact and improve.” 

The 14th edition of the Indian Premier League will kick-off on April 9 with a marquee clash between Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore at the MA Chidambaram Stadium. Devdutt Padikkal will be keen to take his game a notch higher in IPL 2021. 

[Hindustan Times inputs]