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

As he gears up for his first IPL at home, the 20-year-old speaks about rubbing shoulders with Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers at Royal Challengers Bangalore and making a mark against the likes of Jasprit Bumrah.

Devdutt Padikkal, the emerging talent who shone brightest in 2020 IPL, has warmed up for the coming edition with an outstanding show in the Vijay Hazare Trophy one-day tournament, where he became the first Indian to score four successive hundreds in List A cricket.

Devdutt Paddikal (IPL / Twitter)

The left-handed opener’s seven innings for Karnataka produced four hundreds and three half-centuries. The tournament also demonstrated how tight the competition for the India openers’ slots is becoming with Padikkal and Mumbai’s Prithvi Shaw going head-to-head. Both youngsters broke the previous aggregate record of 723 runs (Mayank Agarwal in the 2017-18 edition). Padikkal aggregated 737 runs (avg 147.40), finishing only behind the 827 runs Shaw scored in Mumbai’s win.

As he gears up for his first IPL at home, the 20-year-old speaks about rubbing shoulders with Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers at Royal Challengers Bangalore and making a mark against the likes of Jasprit Bumrah.

Excerpts:

Can you talk about the pull shot you played against Jasprit Bumrah early last IPL season, getting on top of it and smashing it from the middle of the bat. Few batsmen handle Bumrah’s short ball well as it comes at an awkward height.

Yes, I remember that shot. The thing was, being my first year in IPL, I knew people will probably test me with the short ball early on. I just wanted to make sure I showed them I am able to pull regardless of what pace I am facing. As soon as I got the chance, I played the pull shot so that they know I am an impact player.

After IPL, you played the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy T20 tournament and Vijay Hazare. Was there a change in how opponents looked at you?

May be, to an extent. They probably had certain plans against me which they didn’t have before. I continued to play my game. In terms of the general feeling of playing the tournament, it was pretty similar to the previous season. I just wanted to make sure I continued my good form and kept scoring big runs.

Given the number of runs you scored in Vijay Hazare, were you disappointed missing out on ODI selection?

What I have learnt for the past two-three years (is) that I can’t be really bothered about the selection. It is not in my control. What I am looking to do is to improve my game every day, work on myself. Two-three years back may be, I used to think a lot about selection, being in the team and stuff like that. In the last couple of years, I have learnt it is important to focus on my game and continue to get runs wherever I am playing. It doesn’t matter for which team, franchise cricket or domestic cricket; I want to make sure I continue to score runs, make my team win. Eventually, when I get there it will be great.

Have you always wanted to be an opener, and what is your mindset?

I enjoyed playing the new ball. It’s always the best time to bat, facing the new ball you get runs pretty quickly. It was my thought process at that point. The fielders will be up and you get to play your shots freely, that’s why I shifted to opening.

How do you switch formats, and what adjustments do you make as an opener?

There is a big difference when you switch from white ball to red-ball cricket. There is a lot more (seam) movement we have to be ready for. Last season, there were a lot of practice sessions where we had to focus was on leaving the ball, really focus on watching the ball closely compared to what we do in white ball. The white ball predominantly comes straight on to the bat. Once you move to the red ball, your feet movement, hand-eye coordination have to be greater. Now, we have pretty much got used to switching between formats, so it’s not that big a challenge.

Currently, in Indian cricket, there is great competition for the opener’s slot. Do you feel the enormity of the challenge to get into the India team?

There is lot of competition, but I take it as a fun challenge, to be honest. When you have a high level of competition it makes you do better, pushes you even more; that is always good. I just keep pushing myself and keep improving every day. The more competition I have, the more drive I have to do better. That’s how I look at it.

How was it going head to head with Prithvi Shaw in Vijay Hazare?

Even he (Prithvi) has been in really good form and he is a special player as well. It was good have someone really going at the same rate as I was. He was also pushing me to score more runs; I am pretty sure he also had that in his mind. We were really pushing each other; it is good to have a high level of competition around you, it makes you do better. Eventually, it will help your team as well. That was a great battle within a battle.

In IPL, it’s been learning on the move for you, being with Kohli and De Villiers.

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. It is not easy to handle all that pressure, especially when the team is looking at you to take the responsibility. How they handle was great to see, and that is something I picked up from them.

How is it batting with Kohli?

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 understands the game so well, when to take a chance and when to pull back, and when to really go after the bowling. When you have so much knowledge and experience it makes our job very easy at the other end.

What conversations did you have with AB?

He is such a special player. You have to just watch and admire how he bats. Whenever we spoke, he just told me to stay in the zone and continue to bat the way I was batting, whatever few words he spoke to me were really special. He used to tell me to keep working and that this is just a beginning and there is a long way to go.

You are also from the Bengaluru school Rahul Dravid studied in.

Even he is someone I look up to. Whenever possible, I love to talk to him and he is open to giving advice. I have spoken to him a few times during practice (at M Chinnaswamy Stadium) when he is around at NCA (National Cricket Academy). Even he has told me to keep working hard and keep improving.

Looking forward to IPL?

Definitely, although it would have been better if we had fans in the stadium. Still, playing in India makes it special; I am looking forward to having a good season.

What’s your goal?

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.

How do you unwind, what other sports you follow?

I follow football a lot. I am a Manchester United fan, I pretty much do not miss any of their games. It is better than last season but I don’t think we are playing the best football we can. Hopefully, we can continue to improve and really build the squad. I watch F1 and tennis quite a bit… I am watching sports all the time, it is pretty much what I do.

How do you cope with life in the bio-bubble?

Initially, it was fine, everyone just looked forward to playing cricket, so everyone managed bio-bubble life as well as they could. But the longer it goes, it gets a little tiring, a bit monotonous. But it is important we continue to enjoy each other’s company. It is a differently feeling… (but) we don’t have a choice. It is important to put our head down and continue doing whatever we can to keep us all playing.