Left-handed opener Devdutt Padikkal put on a show with the bat in Royal Challengers Bangalore’s (RCB) resounding 10-wicket victory over Rajasthan Royals (RR) at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai on Thursday (April 22).
Chasing 178 to win, Padikkal smashed his maiden IPL ton (101* off 52 balls; 11 fours and 6 sixes) while Virat Kohli hit 72 not out off 47 balls (6 fours and 3 sixes) as RCB got over the line with 21 balls to spare.
After the game, Padikkal acknowledged that it is challenging to hit boundaries in the middle overs but he found the task to be relatively easy thanks to the partnership with RCB skipper.
"It's about the situation of the game, I always have a particular role that I have to play and I have to do that as well as possible," Padikkal said at the post-match press conference.
"Sometimes it can get challenging in the middle overs and it's not easy to hit boundaries all the time.
"It was a good wicket, we had the partnership going and we were complementing each other well. So, in that situation it was easier to hit those boundaries because we are always rotating the strike," he added.
Asked what was on his mind when he was approaching the century, Padikkal said he wasn't thinking about his milestone as securing the win was more important.
"To be honest, I was just looking to finish the game off, that's what mattered the most. We wanted to get the win as early as possible and when I was out there I was never really thinking about my hundred," the southpaw remarked.
Padikkal was one of the star performers for RCB during the last year’s IPL in UAE. He had outscored both Kohli and AB de Villiers to end as the highest run-getter for the franchise, aggregated 473 runs from 15 games at a strike rate of 124.80 with 5 half-centuries.
In the ongoing IPL, the left-hander has amassed 137 runs in three games at a strike rate of 147.31.
"In the last two seasons, I've only looked to keep things simple and I have not tried to do anything different and special. I have tried to stick to my process, be as consistent as possible and thankfully I have been able to do that," said Padikkal.
Days before the start of IPL 2021, Padikkal had returned COVID-19 positive and had to miss RCB’s tournament opener against defending champions Mumbai Indians.
"Coming out of COVID definitely was a big challenge and I was really glad that I was able to contribute to the team's win from the second game.
"As long as I am contributing and the team is winning that what that matters to me," said Padikkal.
Royal Challengers Bangalore will take on Chennai Super Kings in their next match on Sunday (April 25).
(With PTI inputs)
