'Sangakkara sir told me I'm capable of doing special things out there': Rajasthan Royals youngster after impressive show
IPL 2022: Kumar Sangakkara's impact has been spoken of by several RR youngsters, and together with his former Sri Lanka teammate Lasith Malinga, Sangakkara, as the result indicates, seems to have done a fabulous job with RR.
The Rajasthan Royals have played some solid cricket in IPL 2022 and a lot of that is because of the positive and calming influence head coach and director of cricket Kumar Sangakkara has had on the players. Sangakkara's impact has been spoken of by several RR youngsters, and together with his former Sri Lanka teammate Lasith Malinga, Sangakkara, as the result indicates, seems to have done a fabulous job with RR. The franchise is placed second on the points table with 16 points and one win will the Royals their place in the IPL playoffs. (Also Read: 'I've seen Chris Gayle taking time' - Ishan Kishan's reply to questions on his struggles in IPL 2022)
The players are in awe of Sangakkara. One of them Devdutt Padikkal opened up on his relation with the Rajasthan Royals coach and highlighted one aspect of the former Sri Lanka coach which the 21-year-old feels has worked wonders for him and the entire team.
"The way he communicates with us is spot on. Just the other day we were discussing something and he was giving us the pre-match talk. And whenever he does that, he doesn't even jitter once. And when he does that, I find it remarkable. He is perfect throughout. The fact that he has command over his language that matters a lot. The way he talks and puts himself across is fascinating. Sanga sir told me I am capable of doing special things out there." Padikkal said on 'The Royals Podcast'.
After spending two fabulous years with RCB, which saw him score over 400 runs as an opener in IPL 2020 and 2021 each, Padikkal joined RR after being acquired by the franchise for ₹7.75 crore in the IPL 2022 mega auction in February. However, in the beginning Padikkal batted at No. 3 but was later promoted to open where he excelled. This year may not have been as prolific for Padikkal as the last two seasons personally, but with 334 runs from 13 matches, the left-handed batter hasn't fared badly.
"Just talking to him and how he went about his game is something I have looked forward to since the moment I knew I was joining Rajasthan. In fact, once I got to the team, it was Sanga who told me that I will be starting off at No. 3. I sort of came in expecting that. I knew my role in the season. But I was ready for it," Padikkal said.
