Royal Challengers Bangalore may not have succeeded in the mission to win the Indian Premier League 2020 trophy, but if there is one positive they can take from the season, it is the rise of 20-year-old batsman Devdutt Padikkal, who left fans and cricket experts impressed with his talent.
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Padikkal was the leading run-scorer for RCB this season, with 473 runs in 15 games. The left-handed opener not only broke Shreyas Iyer’s record of scoring most runs in a debut season, but he even took home the Emerging Player of the Season award. Speaking to reporters after the end of the season, Padikkal said that he still has a lot to improve on, while revealing a precious advice received from RCB captain Virat Kohli.
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“There’s a long way to go for me and there’s so much I have to improve upon. It’s just the beginning. Virat helped me along the way in terms of how to build innings. He asked me to continue to work hard and not let success affect me. Keep pushing ahead and keep improving is what he told me, and that’s what I am going to do,” Padikkal told India Today.
{{/usCountry}}“There’s a long way to go for me and there’s so much I have to improve upon. It’s just the beginning. Virat helped me along the way in terms of how to build innings. He asked me to continue to work hard and not let success affect me. Keep pushing ahead and keep improving is what he told me, and that’s what I am going to do,” Padikkal told India Today.
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“It’s important one should continue to enjoy the game and not get caught in thoughts regarding policy and playing for the country because that’s going to happen when the time is right.
“I have learnt a lot with so many senior players around. It has changed my mindset as to how to deal with a lot of situations. They (senior players) keep themselves stable throughout the season regardless of how the team is performing and would focus on the process and not on the result.”