Devdutt Padikkal became the second player after Sanju Samson to hit a century in IPL 2021 as Royal Challengers Bangalore thumped Rajasthan Royals by 10 wickets to stay on top.
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Devdutt Padikkal and Virat Kohli put on a masterclass of an exhibition in the IPL 2021 match between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Rajasthan Royals. The duo took the attack to the Rajasthan Royals bowlers as they stitched a partnership of 181, the highest opening partnership for Royal Challengers Bangalore. This was the third-highest score chased down in the history of the IPL without losing a wicket.
With eight runs needed, Padikkal was closing in on his first IPL century. After the match, Kohli revealed that Padikkal was not really concerned about the century. Kohli revealed that he told him to finish the match off. “We spoke about it (on the 100). He told me to finish it off. I told him to get to it first. He said many will come and I said yeah, you can say that after you get to the landmark. He deserved to get the three-figure mark,” Kohli said.
The youngster had an outstanding Vijay Hazare Trophy, smashing 737 runs at an average of 152 with four centuries and three fifties in seven innings. Kohli said the way Padikkal had paced his innings was brilliant. “It was an outstanding innings. He batted really well for his first season last time. There was a lot of talk about him not accelerating after getting to 30s. He’s put all that to rest,” Kohli said.
Padikkal was one of the leading run-getters for Royal Challengers Bangalore in IPL 2020 and he showed why he is been hailed as the next big thing. Despite being infected by coronavirus before IPL 2021, Padikkal has stepped up to contribute to the side’s win. After receiving the Man of the Match award, Padikkal revealed that he was actually not worried about the ton.
“Not really, that’s what I was telling Virat to go for it. For me it’s not about getting to a hundred, I wouldn’t mind missing out on hundreds as long as I contribute to team’s wins. Throughout the innings there were times when he was going better and then I was going better,” Padikkal said.
Royal Challengers Bangalore next take on Chennai Super Kings in an epic rivalry in Mumbai. Rajasthan Royals, who are now at the bottom with a NRR of -1.011, take on Kolkata Knight Riders.
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