In the lead up to India’s selection committee meeting to pick the ODI squad for the New Zealand series Devdutt Padikkal had every reason to be optimistic. While the omission of Mohammed Shami, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Ishan Kishan did become talking points, at Ahmedabad Padikkal was making peace with how hard it is to break into a strong ODI out-fit. He had to make peace for sure as none have the numbers close to what Padikkal has. In 37 List A fixtures, he has 2585 runs which includes 13 centuries to go with 13 fifties and averages an incredible 83.62. Even with regards to strike-rate there is no debate as it stands at 93.37 and he is a batsman in red-hot form, scoring 147, 124, 22, 113, 108 and 91 in Karnataka’s six matches so far at the Vijay Hazare Trophy where they are sitting top of the table winning all six.
“I wouldn’t say it was disappointing,” Padikkal tells The Indian Express after his 91 against Rajasthan on Tuesday, which helped Karnataka win by 150 runs. “Yes, I was looking at the selection and seeing what would come out. But at the same time, I understood that there are so many batters in the line and everyone has been doing really well. And it’s not that easy to push into that one-day side. And again, that’s something that as cricketers, you have to make peace with. And you have to just try and do your job and keep scoring runs,” the 25-year-old says.
From the moment he broke into the IPL in the 2020 season, Padikkal has been amongst the fringes. From being an opener, who struggled to maintain aggressive intent in the middle-overs of T20, he has evolved into a consistent middle-order batsman. There were definite signs of struggle when he tallied 261 and 38 runs in successive IPL editions with Rajasthan Royals and Lucknow Super Giants. But last IPL, back with Royal Challengers Bengaluru, his 247 in 10 outings came at incredible strike-rate of 150.61, compared to his career number of 126.29. From there on, he has been a different batsman as has been evident in the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20s and Vijay Hazare Trophy. And Padikkal conceded the move to middle-order was the most challenging one, but one that has given a much needed fillip to his career.
“As I have grown up wanting to play Test cricket, my game was moulded in a certain way. It was definitely a challenge when I had to make those adjustments to make sure that I am keeping up with the current way T20 cricket is played. To be honest, all the credit for that goes to DK (Dinesh Karthik) and Andy (Flower) at RCB. To be honest, the way they helped me through that phase and helped me understand how I can maximise my game in the T20 format helped me a lot in terms of understanding what I needed to do. Earlier, because I was so used to playing in the power play, I was not really thinking about playing that phase after 7-14.” Padikkal says.
In the 50-over format where the new generation of batsmen are struggling to maintain a tempo, Padikkal has managed to achieve it without breaking much sweat. “In one-dayers, it’s all about that tempo and that pattern. Luckily for me, I found that pretty early in my 50-over career and I really understand how to build my innings. And I feel that’s helped me a lot throughout the career that I have had in 50-overs so far. It’s pretty straightforward for me. It’s all about fighting that new ball initially and then after that, putting some pressure back on the bowler and then playing according to the situation. That’s how it always goes pretty much especially when you are batting first. And when you are batting second, obviously you can adapt your game according to the score,” Padikkal says.
For now, the realistic opening he could get is with the Test team, which he has been part of and going into 2026, it remains top of Padikkal’s goal. “I want to win every trophy that I play in. So obviously we have Vijay Hazare going on now. We have the Ranji Trophy coming up, where we are in a good position. I have not won a Ranji Trophy yet. So that’s something that I really want to do. And of course, I want to try and be a permanent member of the Indian side. I understand that there is a lot of competition. And all I can do is keep scoring runs and wait for my chance and take it when I get it.”
