Devdutt Padikkal
Devdutt Padikkal (Image Credit: Twitter)

Royal Challengers Bangalore opener Devdutt Padikkal names Gautam Gambhir as his role model saying that he still watches the former opener’s batting. The 20-year-old says that while he is inspired by every player who has represented the country, but the former Kolkata Knight Riders skipper had an indelible impression on him shaping up his cricket journey.

Devdutt Padikkal has had a breakthrough IPL season last year, where he finished as the highest run-scorer of his side, outscoring even Virat Kohli. He continued his form in domestic cricket as well and was gearing up for the IPL 2021. Unfortunately, he has tested positive for the covid-19 and will miss the opening game of the season against Mumbai Indians.

Gautam Gambhir
Gautam Gambhir [Photo: scroll.in]

“For me, there is not one individual who has inspired me. Every person has a separate story and everyone really has gone through with some things to get there in their career. I take inspiration from every cricketer who has played for India because getting there is not easy at all.

“It takes a lot to get there. They have done a lot to reach that level and contributed to the country. But my role model is Gautam Gambhir in cricket. I have grown up watching him bat. I still watch his videos. I still love his batting. Gambhir is my cricketing role model,” Devdutt Padikkal told Times of India.

I have really worked a lot on my batting to build an innings: Devdutt Padikkal

The Kerala-born left-hander plays for Karnataka in domestic cricket. Devdutt Padikkal had record-breaking Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy tournaments.

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In the Syed Mushtaq Ali, he scored 218 runs in six innings at an average of 43.60 and a strike rate of 134.56; he became a beast in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, aggregating 737 runs in 7 matches at an astonishing average of 147.40, and smashed 4 consecutive hundreds. He says that he has worked hard to convert his starts to big scores, and has matured in the past couple of years.

Devdutt Padikkal
Devdutt Padikkal (Image Credit: Twitter)

“I have matured with time and the way I have been batting. I really learnt a lot in terms of building an innings and getting those big runs because I used to have problems with getting out a number of times in the 70s and 80s. In the last couple of years, I have really worked a lot on my batting to build an innings and to have a clear set of plans. I learnt the art of how to go ahead from start to finish. That’s what really helped me in the domestic season where I got those centuries and took my team to wins.

“For me, I try to keep things simple. I take one ball and a bowler at a time – that’s my mantra. Sometimes you get carried away after a decent or good start. I have set game plans now. I plan ahead of a match. I want to be consistent in any format I play,” the Karnataka opener stated.

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