In the present Vijay Hazare Trophy, Karnataka batsman Devdutt Padikkal has been in incredible form, scoring more than 600 runs. A position in India’s ODI squad has remained elusive despite his superb touch in the one-day format. Even for players who consistently succeed, breaking into India’s white-ball system is still extremely difficult because to the fierce rivalry for spots.
Padikkal keeps a very realistic view on the selecting process instead of obsessing over lost chances. He recognises the intense competition in the national system and feels that any professional athlete hoping to compete at the highest level must possess patience.
It wasn’t disappointing, in my opinion. Yes, I was watching the selection to see what would be revealed. However, I also realised that everyone has been playing pretty well and that there are a lot of batters in the queue. Additionally, pushing into that one-day side is difficult, Padikkal told the Indian Express.
And once more, as cricket players, you have to accept that fact. He continued, “And you have to just try to do your job and keep scoring runs.”
The traditional values of the longest format served as the cornerstone of Devdutt Padikkal’s strategy, but the Indian Premier League’s (IPL) fast-paced demands necessitated a significant change. In order to adapt his skill set to the contemporary demands of white-ball cricket, he underwent a methodical, well-coached transition from a classical batting approach to a high-strike-rate T20 game.
“My game was shaped in a particular way because I grew up wanting to play Test cricket. Making those changes to ensure that I am keeping up with the way T20 cricket is played now was undoubtedly difficult,” Padikkal remarked.
The left-hander attributes a large portion of this development to the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) support team. The one-day style of cricket is primarily about rhythm, but T20 cricket requires maximisation. In 50-over cricket, Padikkal feels he has found a natural pattern that allows him to successfully anchor innings while still applying pressure when necessary.
“To be honest, DK (Dinesh Karthik) and Andy (Flower) at RCB deserve all the praise for it. To be really honest, I was greatly assisted in understanding what I needed to accomplish by the way they guided me through that phase and taught me how to maximise my game in the T20 format. I wasn’t really considering playing that phase after 7-14 earlier since I was so accustomed to playing in the power play,” Padikkal said.
It all comes down to that tempo and that pattern in one-dayers. Fortunately for me, I discovered that fairly early in my 50-over career, and I now know exactly how to construct my innings. And I believe it has greatly aided me in my 50-over career thus far,” he continued.
Padikkal uses a simple yet efficient one-day strategy for his tactics.
He admits that let the new ball to settle gradually puts strain on the bowlers. Whether pursuing or batting first, he adjusts his style of play to fit the circumstances, making sure his innings are impactful and consistent.
For me, it’s quite simple. It all comes down to first battling that new ball, then applying pressure to the bowler again, and finally playing the scenario as it arises. Generally speaking, that is how things always proceed, particularly when you are batting first. Additionally, you can definitely modify your strategy based on the score when you are batting second,” Padikkal stated.
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