Galle, Aug 16 (PTI) Devdutt Padikkal’s maiden Test hundred was the result of greater clarity in his approach against spin and an unwavering hunger to convert three-figure scores into more substantial knocks, the India batter said after his career-best performance against Sri Lanka here.
Padikkal, who had been working hard over the last two years for an opportunity to make an impact at the Test level, said committing fully to his plans helped in sharpening his footwork as he went on to score his maiden century.
“Definitely, I’ve dreamt of this moment. For the last two years, I’ve been working really hard to try and make sure that when I get that opportunity, I can do something special like this, and I’m really happy to do that,” Padikkal told the broadcasters after the second day’s play in the opening Test.
The left-hander said he had worked extensively on developing clear plans against spin rather than relying solely on reactions, and that attacking the bowlers in his own areas of strength allowed him to dictate terms.
“When you’re playing spin, it’s important that you have certain plans in your head. You cannot go out there and expect to react all the time,” he said.
“It’s important that we have a couple of shots in your head that you want to play as soon as you go out there, so that you can put some pressure on the bowler as well.” Padikkal also attributed his decisive footwork to the clarity in his approach, saying he wanted to commit fully to every shot, including defensive strokes.
“When you have that clarity in terms of what you want to do, I think that brings that confidence in your footwork as well. I was just looking to make sure that I commit to whatever I do (a) 100 per cent,” he said.
The 24-year-old said the hunger to score more runs helped him overcome the temptation to relax immediately after reaching three figures.
“I just enjoy batting out there, and the moment you get to (a) hundred, it’s easy to relax and feel that relief. But it’s important that for me, the next 20-30 balls are the really important phase that I try and make sure that I’m completely focused,” he said.
“I think when I get past those first 10 balls after 100, I think it makes my job a whole lot easier.” Padikkal, who grew up watching several Karnataka batters produce big scores, said their performances had inspired him to emulate them.
“Over the years, I’ve seen so many cricketers get big runs, get big hundreds, especially back in Karnataka. So just watching them bat makes me want to do the same,” he said.
On the Galle surface, Padikkal felt it had begun gripping only marginally more on the second day but expected it to quicken up significantly as the Test progressed.
“Not a whole lot more. It will take probably another couple of sessions for that to really start breaking up. But we know that in Galle, especially, it tends to quicken up pretty fast on the third and fourth day,” he said.
“So we are expecting that to happen again. Hopefully, it will help our bowlers as well.” Despite the significance of his maiden Test hundred, Padikkal was in no mood for an elaborate celebration.
“Not really,” he said with a smile when asked if he was the kind to celebrate hard after a big performance. “I’m tired, so I’m just going to go back to bed now.” PTI AH AH DDV
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