Karnataka batter Devdutt Padikkal has opened up about his omission from India’s ODI squad for the upcoming New Zealand series despite being one of the most consistent performers in the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy.
The left-hander is currently the second-highest run-scorer in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. He has scored 605 runs in six innings at an outstanding average of 100.83. However, despite his strong performances, Padikkal failed to earn a place in India’s ODI squad for the New Zealand series.
Speaking to The Indian Express, Padikkal said, “I wouldn’t say it was disappointing. 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.”
Padikkal believes acceptance is an important part of a cricketer’s journey. “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,” he explained.
The Karnataka batter also spoke about the need to adapt to modern-day cricket. “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,” he said.
Padikkal credited Royal Challengers Bengaluru for playing a key role in his development as a player. “To be honest, all the credit for that goes to DK (Dinesh Karthik) and Andy (Flower) at RCB.”
The 24-year-old further stated that the ODI format suits his game well. “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,” Padikkal added.
For latest sports updates: Follow RevSportz
