You live for those days: Devdutt Padikkal on Test debut | Cricket News
The night before the India-England Test in Dharamsala was long and tough for Devdutt Padikkal. The team management had informed him that he would make his debut, and Padikkal, as any first-timer, was as excited as he was nervous.
“Regardless of when you get to know, there is always going to be nervousness around. I was nervous, it was a tough night’s sleep but it is something you also enjoy at the same time. You live for those days,’’ he would say at the end of the day, after stroking a largely smooth 65.
The 23-year-old made his Test debut on the back of his consent returns this Ranji Trophy season, wherein he scored 566 runs in four innings at an average of 92 runs. But all this had looked dant when he was laid low a COVID-19 infection in 2021 and later a stomach illness. But he never let physical ailments hinder his progress. “During sickness, I couldn’t do much but I still wanted to make sure I am not lagging behind in other areas and I continued to work on myself whether mentally or any other small thing,” Padikkal said.
🎥 That Maiden Test Fifty Moment! 🙌
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— BCCI (@BCCI) March 8, 2024
“I have always believed that discipline is key to success in anything that you do. Whether it be practice or day to day habits or food. I have tried to be disciplined and that was my main goal,” he added.
The domestic grind and the early setbacks had toughened him up. Though he made a splash in the IPL, his first two seasons for Karnataka was difficult. But he just worked harder. “For first couple of years, I wasn’t doing well in First Class cricket but you keep working hard, try to improve your game and make those small adjustments. I am still learning and still making adjustments,” he said.
He had the sympathies of Ravi Ashwin, who handed him the Test cap. “As a very young kid who came on, burst onto the scene, captivated the imagination of a lot of people through T20 cricket, came up through the ranks as the star-studded boy from his state. He went through something that a youngster will also always find hard to go to,” Ashwin had said of Padikkal.
Maiden Test ✅
Maiden Test fifty ✅
Welcome to Test cricket, Devdutt Padikkal 👏 👏
Follow the match ▶️ https://t.co/jnMticF6fc #TeamIndia | #INDvENG | @IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/pkDgbvtVIF
— BCCI (@BCCI) March 8, 2024
But when the big moment arrived, he ensured that he grabbed it with both hands. Apart from the mental composure, he made a couple of technical tweaks too. “Technically I made a couple of small changes but mentally yes, I made the changes. I wanted to ensure that I enjoy the game a lot more because the last couple of years I couldn’t play that often and missing out on games made me realise how much I missed the sport,” he said.
Though he struck 10 fours and a six, an edged boundary of James Anderson was his most unforgettable one. The simple reason: It brought his first runs in Test cricket. “Every boundary is enjoyable but the first boundary, off the edge, was most enjoyable because those were my first runs in Test cricket,” he said, chuckling.
After a jittery start, he soon discovered fluency and batted with the elan of most tall southpaws. With Sarfraz Khan he engineered a mini-comeback after India had lost Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill straight after lunch. “It’s always fun to bat with Sarfaraz Khan. He is a great character to have around. It was just some light stuff and nothing too serious. We weren’t really discussing the game a lot, we just wanted to make sure we make each other comfortable on the ground,” he said.
