Australia’s white-ball captain Aaron Finch has heaped praise on his young Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) teammate Devdutt Padikkal, saying he loved opening with the “exciting young player”.
Padikkal has set a great platform for the RCB with his brilliant half-century (56 off 42 balls) on his IPL debut alongside Finch (29) to help the franchise to beat Sunrisers Hyderabad in their opening game in the ongoing IPL 2020 on Monday (September 21) in Dubai.
The Australian skipper also suggested young talent Padikkal play his natural game while other overseas stars also lauded Indian talents in the ongoing lucrative T20 league in the UAE.
Finch said in the post-match press conference: “Brilliant young player, he (Padikkal) has shown it over the last couple of years in domestic cricket, U-19 cricket, how talented he is and how destructive he could be at the top of the order. I loved opening with him. He is such an exciting young player. My advice is to play your natural game and if you are feeling it against the particular bowler keep going. Play nice and smart, and then my role changes a little bit.”
AB De Villiers was also impressed with Padikkal, saying: “Very competitive, the young players coming and looking like international players is really exciting to watch. Padikkal is a shy and quiet guy but I don't have to say much really, he looks like a really good talent.”
Meanwhile, the SRH captain David Warner also advised the youngsters to carry on playing their natural game, saying: “Exciting times for Indian cricket and I can't wait to see what the young players produce.”
Warner signed off by saying, “There were three bizarre dismissals, but I encourage them to keep playing the way, not think too much about it. We will rely on our senior players to guide those guys in the middle. Play your natural game and that’s the only way you can learn.”
(With AFP Inputs)
