Devdutt Padikkal becomes the first 21st century-born to play international men’s cricket for India

There was a lot of excitement among the fans three weeks before the Sri Lankan tour. Understandably so. A new-look Team India, brimming with exciting talents, was set to board a flight to the neighbouring country. A lot of eyes were on young Devdutt Padikkal. Following his recent run of form in the Vijay Hazare Trophy and Indian Premier League, many expected him to don the blue jersey. However, he had to wait for his chances.

With his inclusion in the playing XI for the second T20 International, Devdutt created a special record. He became the first 21st century born cricketer to appear for the Indian men’s team. In terms of age, he is the tenth youngest player to represent India in T20Is.

His ascension to the top has been remarkable. After representing India U-19 in the 2018 Asia Cup, he was drafted into the Karnataka Ranji Trophy set-up. Karnataka’s Vinay Kumar handed Devdutt Padikkal his debut Ranji cap in Mysore. In an interesting turn of events as reported by 'The Hindu', the senior Indian selector, Jatin Paranjpe despite having a sore back, travelled all the way just to catch a glimpse of the youngster.

Much to his delight, Devdutt gave a good account of his batting proficiencies in his debut Ranji game. He drove his way to a well-compiled 77 against Maharashtra.

Over the coming years, he rose through the ranks swiftly and went on to become Karnataka’s batting mainstay. His outstanding performance with the bat during the 2019-20 domestic season caught everyone’s attention. He contributing handsomely to Karnataka's twin triumph in the Syed Mushtaq Ali and Vijay Hazare Trophy. 

However, the Indian Premier League (IPL) has undoubtedly aided in his rapid development. The experience he gained from playing alongside legends like Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers was invaluable. Elegant cover drives, wristy flicks, sizzling square cuts and slog sweeps - The 21-year-old impressed everyone in his debut season for Royal Challengers Bangalore. His calm demeanour and insatiable thirst for runs added to the allure of his batting.

The southpaw overshadowed batting behemoths like de Villiers and Virat Kohli, accumulating 473 runs in 15 matches. Except for Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers, no other RCB player had topped the run-chart since 2014. Such was his impact. RCB, a team with a long history of producing a lineage of stars, had discovered a new gem in Devdutt.

The youngster continued his red-hot form in the 2021 Vijay Hazare Trophy. He made history by becoming the first Indian batsman in List-A cricket to score four consecutive centuries. The left-handed batsman joined the elite list of batsmen who have scored the most consecutive centuries in List-A cricket.

Other prominent names in the list include Sri Lanka's Kumar Sangakkara, West Indies' Brian Lara and Australia's Michael Hussey. He amassed 737 runs at an astonishing average of 147.40 in just 7 innings. Among his efforts, the one which stood out was his marauding century against Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2021. He etched his name in the T20 folklore. With that unbeaten knock, he became the only third uncapped player to score a century in IPL.

Devdutt showed few glimpses of his talent in his first outing for Team India. He scored 29 off 23 balls before he was bowled by Wanindu Hasaranga. At the mid-innings break, the youngster reflected on his debut performance.

"It was a little bit sticky and we had to make sure that we had to bat through as we had a batter short. We wanted to put a competitive total on the board. Making the debut is a special feeling. Everyone is excited about this opportunity. “ he was quoted as saying. 

He will be eager to make amends with the bat in the series decider against Sri Lanka tonight.