He Was Dismissive: Shaun Pollock Lauds Devdutt Padikkal For His Whirlwind 100 Against Rajasthan Royals

Former South African seamer Shaun Pollock has heaped high praise on Devdutt Padikkal following the southpaw’s brilliant maiden IPL ton against the Rajasthan Royals.

Padilkkal, who had struggled on sluggish Chennai tracks, came into his own in friendly batting conditions Mumbai as he put on an absolute clinic against a hapless Rajasthan Royals attack.

It was a sumptuous batting display of the highest order by Devdutt Padikkal as he peeled off a whirlwind unbeaten 52-ball 101.

Padikkal had a sensational IPL 2020 but his strike rate of 121 attracted criticism from his detractors. Pollock, who was hugely impressed with the southpaw last season, feels that the opener has worked on his weakness of chewing up a lot of deliveries.

“I’ve always liked him from the time I saw him in the UAE. I thought he was class, he’s tall, he’s got all the shot, he looks elegant. And he’s got a fantastic technique. I think in UAE what I felt about him was that he was accumulating too many dot balls. I think he has worked at that. He’s got runs in domestic cricket,” said Pollock in a Cricbuzz video.

Shaun Pollock further added that he was left astonished with the power-hitting that Devdutt Padikkal unleashed during the powerplay.

The champion pacer reckoned that Devdutt Padikkal, courtesy of his imperious batting in the powerplay, shut the door on Rajasthan Royals.

“When he got to the Wankhede Stadium, we said that the surface will probably suit him but I saw some more power hitting from than what I expected. He hit some fantastic shots in the first six overs. He was ready to take the attack (to the opposition) and put them under pressure. Whatever chances they had, were put to bed after the first six overs. He was dismissive of what they threw at him and just continued to grow. He probably got a bit stronger too,” said Pollock.

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