Devdutt Padikkal wants to be as fearless as Shikhar Dhawan on his India debut

Youngster Devdutt Padikkal burst on to the scene with his scintillating performances in the Indian Premier League last season. He soon became a major talking point in the Indian cricket community after repeating the same heroics in the most recent IPL season before it had come to a halt. Padikkal amassed 195 runs in six matches at an average close to 40 and at a strike rate of 152.34. He has also slammed his maiden IPL century in 2021.

The youngster from Bangalore has been rewarded for his rich form and has been called up to the new look national side on the tour of Sri Lanka. He’s one of the five uncapped players in the team along with Nitish Rana, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Chetan Sakariya, and Krishnappa Gowtham.

Ahead of potentially receiving his maiden international cap, Padikkal can barely contain the excitement within. Despite admitting being nervous, the 21-year-old has also stressed that he knows the method to calm himself. In order to do it he wants to take a page out of the book of his current captain Shikhar Dhawan.

“This will be a really great opportunity for me to learn from someone who is similar to me. Obviously, he is also a left-handed opener and I have watched a lot of his batting as I have grown up,” said the RCB opening batsman.

Shikhar Dhawan who will lead the team in Sri Lanka made his international debut almost eight years ago. That occasion stood out to be a real highlight of his career as he went on to score 187 against Australia in Mohali! Dhawan also slammed a ton in just 85 deliveries, becoming the fastest centurion on debut. Padikkal said that he wants to assimilate that confidence from Dhawan.

“His Test debut against Australia is pretty unforgettable, to be honest. To see how he batted… I was really inspired by how fearless he was on his debut. Cut short, there is a lot I can learn from him and I am looking forward to playing under him,” Padikkal said on the ‘Follow The Blues’ Show on Star Sports.

Devdutt Padikkal also talked about how getting called up to the national side was a dream come true for him.

“Dream come true because ever since I started playing cricket at nine years old, this is the moment I have always dreamt about and always wanted to achieve. So to be picked to represent the country is a feeling which is very hard to explain. So I am really grateful for this opportunity,” he added.