IPL 2021: Last Year Devdutt Padikkal Batted Well, But I Want To See Him Get A Couple Of Hundreds This Year: Brian Lara

Former West Indies captain and legendary batsman, Brian Lara, wishes to see Devdutt Padikkal, the Royal Challengers Bangalore opener, reaches a couple of three-figure scores and have plenty of impactful performances in IPL 2021 after a successful season last year.

Devdutt Padikkal made his IPL debut last year and returned as the highest run-scorer of RCB, outscoring even the likes of Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers, with 473 runs under his belt at an average of 31.53 and a strike rate of 124.80.

He hit 5 fifties in the season, but couldn’t manage to convert any of them into a hundred. Brian Lara expects the youngster to notch up the landmark score this year.

“He’s (Padikkal) such a great talent. Last year he got a couple of fifties, he batted well, he supported Virat Kohli very well. What I want to see in 2021 IPL is for him to go on and get a few man of the matches and get a couple of triple figures under his belt. Such a great little player! A few little things to iron out. I hope he did that in the break and comes back really storming hard for this IPL,” Brian Lara said while commentating for Star Sports.

Great To Have Runs Behind Me Coming Into The IPL: Devdutt Padikkal

Devdutt Padikkal is coming into the IPL 2021 on the backdrop of a prolific domestic season. The southpaw tallied 218 runs in 6 innings in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and had a rec0rd-braking Vijay Hazare Trophy amassing 737 runs at an average of 147. The 20-year-old wishes to bat along the same lines in the IPL as well

After recovering from the covid-19 virus, and missing RCB’s first game against Mumbai Indians, Devdutt Padikkal opened versus Sunrisers Hyderabad; he struggled for timing and balance scoring 11 runs off 13 balls.

“COVID was a setback. I wish that it didn’t happen but that’s something I couldn’t control…I had to accept the way it was and just make sure that I kept myself fit so that when I comeback I can be ready for the game,” Devdutt Padikkal said in a video posted on RCB’s Twitter handle.

“Last IPL was amazing for me. It was such a great experience and exposure for me, the opportunities I got and the fact that I was able to contribute to the side is all that matters in the end.

“Mushtaq Ali was decent, not up to what I was expecting, and in Vijay Hazare, I was just looking to get back into my rhythm and focus on what I am doing and really improve my game every time I went out to bat. It was really great to have the runs behind me, so coming into IPL, I know that I am confident,” the Karantaka batsman added.

Also Read: Dinesh Karthik Reveals Why He Handed Over The KKR Captaincy To Eoin Morgan Mid-Season In IPL 2020