Virat Kohli was effusive in his praise of Devdutt Padikkal, lauding his ability to play orthodox cricketing shots while still scoring at a strike-rate close to 200. The left-right combination of Royal Challengers Bangalore put together an absolute clinic in a chase of 205 against Gujarat Titans, adding 115 runs for the second wicket in just 59 balls. Having had a debilitating tryst with injuries in recent years, Padikkal set the tempo by lifting his first ball for a six and went on to clear the ropes five more times in an ebullient 27-ball knock of 55.
“I mean, we had to assess the wicket early on. Because they have a quality bowling attack, and with a chase of 200+ in Bangalore, we know we’re only one partnership away. I think that Devdutt Padikkal’s done it twice this season – where he’s come in and absolutely played a blinder from ball one,” Kohli said after the plain-sailing victory.
“You know, the first boundary off Kagiso Rabada was magnificent. And he has the game awareness and the ability, especially in conditions like ours, to be able to play good cricketing shots and hurt oppositions striking over 200, which is quite rare, to be honest. You never see him slogging the ball. You feel like he’s not giving you a sniff in the game and yet he’s scoring so freely. So I think Dev’s innings was the clear difference in the first half.”
In the post-match press conference, Padikkal returned the favour, crediting his senior partner for setting the standards of excellence. “I think the biggest thing for me is his energy and intensity that he brings to every single game, every single net session. Although he’s achieved everything that is there to be achieved in this game, he still continues to give his 100 percent in every single practice session and every single match that he plays,” Padikkal said.
“And that kind of commitment is very hard to find. And when you see someone really so driven and so passionate about the game, it really rubs off to everybody in the side as well. So I’m sure his energy is helping everyone in the team.”
