'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wgARCAAHAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFgABAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQG/8QAFQEBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABAX/2gAMAwEAAhADEAAAAMpOTT//xAAfEAACAgIBBQAAAAAAAAAAAAABAgMRAAQGEhRBg9L/2gAIAQEAAT8Ah4VHDAiVfW4tzEoZR5qmwcK1SAe62R6I/rP/xAAYEQACAwAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQIDBP/aAAgBAgEBPwB7LHE//8QAGBEAAgMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIBA0H/2gAIAQMBAT8Aa6Ww/9k='%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Devdutt Padikkal has stated that he felt like he earned his Test spot during the home series against England earlier this year, having put up some very good batting performances in domestic cricket. He asserted that having scored a lot of runs gave him confidence ahead of his maiden Test.
Padikkal made his Test debut in the fifth and final match of the series against England in Dharamsala in March this year. He scored a fluent 65 off 103 in the first innings as India hammered the Englishmen by an innings and 64 runs.
Speaking to news agency PTI, the 24-year-old revisited his debut Test knock and explained why he felt that he was prepared for the big challenge.
“To be honest, going into that game (against England), I felt ready. I felt like I had earned that spot. Obviously, I played a lot in domestic cricket that year and I got a lot of runs in the Ranji Trophy as well," Padikkal said.
“So, once you have those runs behind you, you have that confidence. Even playing for India, it feels natural and that was the case for me. And obviously, getting that 50 (on Test debut) gave me some more confidence as well,” the left-handed batter added.
The Karnataka batter had an exceptional 2023-24 Ranji Trophy season, amassing 556 runs in four matches at an average of more than 93, with three hundreds. Speaking of his knock in his debut Test against England in Dharamsala, Padikkal struck 10 fours and a six before being bowled by off-spinner Shoaib Bashir.
"There's a lot for me to learn" - Devdutt Padikkal wants to keep improving
Padikkal will represent Team D in the upcoming Duleep Trophy, which gets underway from September 5. The southpaw stated that he is keen to keep learning and improving to take his game to a higher level.
“It's important that I continue to improve. Obviously, Test cricket keeps challenging you. It's a difficult format to play. So, I just have to keep focusing on things where I can improve. There's a lot for me to learn. So, I'm continuing to work on things that I need to improve on,” the promising youngster said.
Padikkal has featured in 32 first-class matches and 30 List-A games, scoring 2292 and 1875 runs respectively. He has notched up six hundreds in first-class matches and eight in List-A cricket.
