'There were times when he was going better': Padikkal reveals he told Kohli to 'go for it' when his nearing hundred

Days before the season opener, Padikkal tested positive for Covid-19 and had to miss the first game against Mumbai Indians.

After a glittering maiden IPL season, in which he scored over 400 runs, becoming only the second player to do so, Devdutt Padikkal was going to be the first name on the team sheet ahead of Royal Challengers Bangalore's first match of IPL 2021. However, destiny had some other plans. Days before the season opener, Padikkal tested positive for Covid-19 and had to miss the first game against Mumbai Indians.

Devdutt Padikkal celebrates after scoring a hundred. (PTI)

Thankfully, the batsman recovered in time for the next game and put on scores of 11 and 25 in the next two matches against Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kolkata Knight Riders.

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But it was in the next match – against Rajasthan Royals on Thursday at Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium, that Padikkal had his moment under the sun, when he slammed his maiden IPL century and helped RCB to a comprehensive 10-wicket win over RR to make it four in a row.

Padikkal remained unbeaten on 101 and he and captain Virat Kohli added an unbeaten 181 runs to gun down a target of 178 runs in less than 17 overs. After the match, Padikkal revealed how missing the first game due to Covid hurt him, while reflecting on his superlative century on Thursday.

"To be honest it's been special, all I could do was wait my turn. When I had Covid, it was all I was thinking about, to come here and play, and when I missed the first one it really hurt me. The wicket was coming on really well, and when we get into a partnership like that it gets easier," Padikkal, who was adjudged Player of the Match, said during the post-match presentation ceremony.

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Padikkal revealed that scoring the hundred was not his priority and that he told his captain to finish off the game quickly. "No real tension when the hundred came, I told Virat to go for it. At the end of the day even if I didn't get a hundred it wouldn't have mattered to me if the team won. The conversation was very clear, we both realised when we were going good. There were times when he was going better, times when I was going better. We just wanted to rotate the strike," he added.