Former Indian cricketer Ajay Jadeja has heaped praise on India’s No.3 batter Devdutt Padikkal, who scored an excellent 167-run knock off 230 balls in the ongoing first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle.
Speaking to Sony Sports Network, Jadeja stated that Padikkal played every ball with merit even after reaching his century on the first day’s play. While there was no talk about Padikkal making it to the XI a few weeks earlier, he was named as Sai Sudharsan’s replacement at No.3.
“You can call it pure batting. He stuck with his approach and game from the first ball. It’s not like he played differently after the hundred. He played each ball on merit. He defended when required and attacked when required. We saw a pure batter playing. Pleasing to the eye. It seems like batting is so easy when he is playing shots,” Ajay Jadeja told Sony Sports Network.
“The partner also feels he is playing so easily. I like him a lot as a player. I have been waiting since I saw him four or five years ago. Better late than never. There was no talk about him one match ago. He came in when someone got injured. I feel the more quality bowling comes, the more you will appreciate this batter,” he added.
On the other hand, another former cricketer, Mohammad Kaif, has asserted that Padikkal has scored more than 100 runs off his back foot, highlighting the importance of his knock using his bottom hand.
“He is a good back-foot player. He remains more on the back foot. He got out on the front foot, not off the back foot. He scored 100 runs off the back foot. He uses the bottom hand well. The grip is low when he holds the bat,” Kaif said.
“Whenever the two hands are close, you will have more control over the bat, especially for cuts and pulls. Back-foot play comes in extremely handy when you go to Australia or England. Fantastic knock, and this was the perfect approach in a Test match,” Kaif concluded.
