As India A captain, Devdutt Padikkal sees another chance to sharpen his game

Devdutt Padikkal sees his elevation to India A captain as more than an opportunity to lead. For the Karnataka batter, it is another chance to learn, adapt and add to the steady evolution of his game.

Padikkal will lead India A against Australia in two red-ball matches in Puducherry from September 22, with the assignment coming at an important stage of his development ahead of India’s upcoming tour of New Zealand.

“It’s a great opportunity to be captain of India A. I’m looking forward to it. I think leadership is something that I really enjoy doing, especially starting off with Karnataka last year,” Padikkal told select media.

“It was a great learning curve for me, so I’m really looking forward to carrying that experience to India A as well.”

A NATURAL LEADER

Padikkal got his first extended taste of captaincy with Karnataka in last season’s Ranji Trophy and quickly showed that the added responsibility did not weigh him down.

In a must-win group game against Punjab in Mohali, he smashed an 85-ball 120 as Karnataka chased down 250 in just 28 overs to seal their place in the quarterfinals.

For Padikkal, the connection between leadership and batting is a straightforward one. The responsibility of leading a team, he believes, can sharpen his own focus at the crease.

“Personally, I enjoy captaincy. That’s just an added responsibility to go out there and make sure that I’m helping the side. I’ve always played cricket that way.

“I’ve always wanted to make sure that the team wins. As a captain, that’s your sole focus. You want to make the team win. That just helps my batting even further,” he said.

That mindset will now be tested against an Australia side in the India A series, with Padikkal looking to use the assignment as another opportunity to grow.

FINDING HIS NEXT GEAR

The 26-year-old has already put together a productive stretch of cricket. He returned from India’s recent tour of Sri Lanka with two fifties and the Player of the Series award before making an assured 62 for South Zone against East Zone in the Duleep Trophy final at Chepauk earlier this week.

While the result did not go South Zone’s way, Padikkal was pleased with the opportunity to spend time in the middle.

“It always feels great to get some runs. I think the purpose behind coming here was to try and help the South Zone win, but obviously that couldn’t happen. But personally I’m happy with the fact that I was able to get some time out there and hopefully I can continue that.”

More importantly, Padikkal feels his batting has undergone meaningful technical changes over the past season as he has faced quality opposition across different conditions.

“It’s a constant learning curve. There’s a lot of things that I’ve learnt throughout the season. I think more technically than mentally. There were a few changes that I needed to make to evolve as a batter in the last season or so,” he said.

The next challenge will be New Zealand, where conditions are likely to demand another adjustment.

“We’re playing in different conditions. Obviously, Sri Lanka and Chennai were quite similar. But moving forward, going to New Zealand as well, it’ll be interesting to see how I can adapt to different conditions.”

DOMESTIC GRIND MATTERS

Padikkal’s recent run has also reinforced his belief in the value of domestic cricket. The Karnataka batter believes the quality and workload involved in the domestic circuit can often go unnoticed.

“It takes a lot of hard work to go through the domestic grind. There is a lot of high-quality cricket going on in the domestic circuit. I think it’s not always noticed, especially when you look at the Duleep Trophy, the amount of quality that is there,” he said.

A Ranji Trophy season can involve 11 matches for a team that goes all the way to the final, demanding consistency over several months.

“There is a lot of hard work that goes in day in, day out to make sure that you are constantly performing after every game,” Padikkal said.

“So, doing that is not very easy and it takes a lot of effort and commitment. At the end of the day, when that gets noticed and you get picked for the side, it’s a really gratifying experience.”

In Puducherry, Padikkal will also face competition for the No. 3 spot, with fit-again Sai Sudharsan in the mix. But the Karnataka batter is not interested in looking too far beyond his own game.

“There’s always been tough competition for spots in Indian cricket. It has never really come down and it’s always going to be the same.

“It’s important that we don’t focus too much on that and just continue to enjoy my batting. As long as I’m scoring runs, I’m happy,” he said.

– Ends