Devdutt Padikkal showcased his talent on his debut with a fine half-century in the first against England at Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, Dharamsala. Padikkal looked confident during his 65-run knock as he made sure India crossed the 200-run lead on Day 2 of the fifth Test. The southpaw played some exquisite drives which impressed the cricket fans and critics.
Padikkal smashed 10 fours and a six during his 103-ball stay in the middle. However, he failed to convert his start into a triple-digit score and was dismissed by Shoaib Bashir who had to produce a special delivery to get the better of him.
Padikkal was picked in India’s squad for the last two Tests after KL Rahul was ruled out due to a quadriceps injury. The southpaw waited for his chance and warmed the bench in Ranchi but got the chance to show his talent in picturesque HPCA, Dharamsala.
After the day 2 play, the southpaw recalled the night before his Test debut and said that nervousness made it a tough night’s sleep on the eve of the match.
“Regardless of when you get to know, there is always going to be nervousness around. That was still there. I got a message the previous night saying that I could be playing. 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,” Padikkal told reporters after the match.
He shared a crucial 97-run stand for the fourth wicket alongside Sarfaraz Khan to rebuild the Indian innings after they lost centurions Rohit and Shubman Gill in quick succession.
The southpaw opened up the partnership with Sarfaraz as he called the Mumbaikar a great character to have around.
“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. You are two against eleven, so we just tried making each other comfortable and enjoyed batting with each other,” said Padikkal.
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Hasibur Rahaman is a passionate sports journalist. He covers everything from cricket to field hockey, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis of sporting events, both within India and on the international stage.
