RR vs LSG: “He Seems To Be Struggling....” - Virender Sehwag Raises Concerns Over Form Of Devdutt Padikkal
Published - 19 Apr 2023, 08:36 PM | Updated - 23 Aug 2024, 12:15 AM

Former Indian cricketer Virender Sehwag believes that Rajasthan Royals (RR) batter Devdutt Padikkal is struggling to bat in the middle order. He said that the Southpaw needs to improve his strike rate otherwise team management should promote Dhruv Jurel.
RR batter Devdutt Padikkal has been struggling to get going in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023. It’s fair to say that batting in the middle order isn’t going well for him as he takes up time to score runs, which has been affecting the team’s run rate.
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Padikkal, who was at his best while opening the batting in IPL 2020 and 2021, has managed just 87 runs from four innings in IPL 2023 so far. What has been concerning is that he has scored runs at an ordinary strike rate of 106.09.
With Yashasvi Jaiswal going great guns at the top, it is unlikely that Padikkal will get a chance at the top and therefore he needs to up his ante to retain his place in the side. Or else the team can look to give chance to others in the team.
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Virender Sehwag said that Devdutt Padikkal’s strike rate hasn’t been good as he’s struggling in the middle order. He added that he wants to see the batter going after the bowlers just like Jos Buttler and Jaiswal. Speaking to Cricbuzz, he said:
“Devdutt Padikkal has scored some runs but his strike rate hasn’t been very good. He doesn’t seem to be in the kind of form he was when he played for Bangalore, or when he opened for Rajasthan previously.
“He seems to be struggling a bit in the middle order. He is someone I want to see come into form and play in the same fashion as Jos Buttler, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sanju Samson. If his form doesn’t improve, Rajashtan should move Dhruv Jurel up the order.”
RR vs LSG: “The difference is in the average,” Murali Karthik on Devdutt Padikkal
Murali Karthik, who was present there in the discussion, pointed out that even while opening Devdutt Padikkal has less strike rate but what has been concerning this season is his average. He added:
“If you look at Devdutt Padikkal’s numbers, his strike rate as an opener is around 124, and it is around 122 when he plays at three of four. So there isn’t much of a difference there. The difference is in the average. He has a better average as an opener.”
Padikkal played IPL 2020 and 2021 as an opening batter for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). He scored 473 and 411 runs respectively. He will be next seen in action when Rajasthan Royals (RR) will take on Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in their next game on Wednesday (19th April).
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Ankitjit is an author at Cricketaddictor. He has been working with the organization since April 2023... Read more