Devdutt Padikkal, who recently scored back-to-back Test centuries against Sri Lanka following his return to international cricket after almost two years, is now ready to lead India A for two four-day games against Australia A in Puducherry. The series starts from September 22. And the left-handed batsman, who gave a good account of himself against spin and pace in Sri Lanka, is looking forward to the opportunity to lead the side.
Ever since becoming Karnataka captain towards the end of the last season, Padikkal’s output as a batter has been quite impressive. He thinks he bats better when he is in a leadership role. “Definitely, it’s a great opportunity to be the captain of India A side,” Padikkal was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo after the Duleep Trophy final in which his side, South Zone under Tilak Varma, came a cropper against East Zone, who took the contest on the basis of their first-innings lead.
“I’m looking forward to it. I think leadership is something that I really enjoy doing, especially starting off with Karnataka last year. It was a great learning curve for me, so I’m really looking forward to carrying that experience to the India A set-up as well,” he added.
“Captaincy is 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.”
The part of the India A squad is also Sai Sudharsan, who got injured ahead of the Sri Lanka Tests. He had been India’s No.3 since last year, and after he got injured, it was Padikkal who took his place in that position. Many believe the way Padikkal batted in Galle and Colombo, he kind of left Sudharsan behind and when India next line up for a Test match — against hosts New Zealand in November — it’s Padikkal a cinch at No.3, not Sudharsan. Talking about the rivalry between him and the Tamil Nadu batsman, Padikkal said, “I think there’s always been tough competition for spots in Indian cricket. I think it’s 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.”
