Devdutt Padikkal played with a sense of composure on his Test debut, scoring a fine 65 against England in the Dharamsala Test. He also stitched an important stand of 97 with Sarfaraz Khan for the fourth wicket. The essence of Padikkal’s batting was how he got through a tricky phase early on in his innings and then opened up by playing pleasing drives.
The left-hand batter talked about how he had a few nerves when he walked out to bat. “I just wanted to be ready (talking about the debut blues), I got the message the previous day that there is a possibility that I could play,” he told the host broadcaster. “These opportunities are rare to come and I was ready and prepared for this challenge.
“I was a bit nervous going in, but I wanted to make sure that I used that energy in a positive way. It was a bit challenging at the beginning (when I walked out to bat), but I wanted to put my head down and build a partnership with Sarfaraz. At the start I was a bit tentative, but once I got my eye in it got much easier. There was a bit of reverse and those are two (Anderson and Stokes) top-quality bowlers you are facing.”
Meanwhile, it was an emotional moment for Shubman Gill – His father was in the stands to applaud his hundred. He also pointed out that he decided to play shots, especially at the start of the day as the ball wasn’t doing much in the air or off the seam. “It was my first time that he’s watching me play (in an international game),” said Gill about his father. “It was his vision (to play Test cricket) and I’m hoping that he is proud of my effort today.
“I thought the ball wasn’t doing much at that time and instinctively I wanted to go over the top and put some pressure on Anderson. I feel good every time I go out to bat and today, I missed out on that ball (the one that dismissed him). I didn’t sight that ball properly, but I do feel good every time I go out to bat and hopefully, I convert these starts into a big one.”