India’s greenhorn batter Devdutt Padikkal has termed former Indian head coach Rahul Dravid as great support. Dravid is known to get the best out of the young players and he has always been open to help the rising players.
Padikkal scored a fine knock of 167 runs off 230 balls in the first innings of the opening Test against Sri Lanka at Galle and backed it with another impressive innings of 44 runs in the second essay. Thus, he was awarded Player of the Match for his fine performance.
Interestingly, Padikkal made his Test debut under Dravid’s tutelage in 2024 against England at Dharamsala.
Padikkal said in post-day press conference, “In terms of discussions with Rahul [Dravid] sir, he’s always been a great support. I made my debut under him, and he’s always been open to having a chat whenever I’ve needed to.”
Speaking on his mindset, the Karnataka batter said, “Honestly, mindsets don’t change that much. I try to keep things as simple as possible, try not to really overthink it, and try not to make plans too much. At the end of the day, I have to go out there and react to what’s coming at me.”
Padikkal said performing well in the red-ball format of the game is the ultimate priority for him.
“I think I’ve always been aware that red-ball is my ultimate goal. I’ve always tried to model my game in such a way that I don’t go too far away from my basics. I don’t try to do things that are completely outside the framework of the red-ball game. That’s what helps me when I make that shift… I try to make sure that I’m in a place where I’m always really quick to switch to red-ball because that’s my first priority.”
Meanwhile, Padikkal got his opportunity after Sai Sudharsan was ruled out with a toe injury. The RCB batter said injuries are part and parcel of the game and one needs to grab his opportunities.
“Cricket has its injuries and things like that happen. Sai has been doing well for us over the last few games, and he’s a very talented player as well. At the end of the day, whoever gets that opportunity, it’s important that we take that opportunity and try and help the team win.”
The second Test between India and Sri Lanka will be played in Colombo from Sunday onwards.
