Devdutt Padikkal has significantly boosted his First-Class centuries tally this season, escalating from just two before the current campaign to now four. Notably, he has achieved this feat with three centuries in the Ranji Trophy and one for India A. His latest century came against Tamil Nadu, where he demonstrated an aggressive batting approach, reaching the milestone in a mere 131 balls.
“When you come into a state like Tamil Nadu, they are expected to dominate, and I just wanted to make sure that I don’t give them that [chance] in the first session of the match. I hope that could give us some momentum for the rest of the game,” Padikkal told Sportstar.
Padikkal emphasized his intent to set the tone early in the match against a formidable opponent like Tamil Nadu, aiming to deny them any early advantage. He particularly targeted left-arm spinner Sai Kishore, dispatching him for four boundaries and three sixes. Padikkal explained,
I was just waiting for them to flight it up a little bit. Both are good bowlers and were bowling consistently in those [good] areas. So we were waiting for them to flight it up a little bit more and trying to use that opportunity because whenever those opportunities come, you have to score runs off them. Otherwise, you will probably get stuck.” Padikkal added.
Reflecting on his recent form, Padikkal attributed his resurgence to being in good health after enduring a lean patch in the past few years. Acknowledging the challenges he faced when not scoring runs due to fitness issues, he expressed relief at returning to form now that he is fully fit and healthy.
Padikkal stated, “Honestly, I wasn’t doing too well in the last couple of years. My performances were naturally dipping because of that. It’s not a great place to be when you’re not scoring runs. Now that I am completely back in terms of my fitness and health, I am really happy I’m back scoring runs as well.”
Despite the setbacks he encountered previously, Padikkal’s aggressive batting style and ability to capitalize on opportunities have played a pivotal role in his recent success, marking a significant turnaround in his career trajectory.
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