“Yes, I remember that shot. The thing was, being my first year in IPL, I knew people will probably test me with the short ball early on. I just wanted to make sure I showed them I am able to pull regardless of what pace I am facing. As soon as I got the chance, I played the pull shot so that they know I am an impact player.”
Padikkal mentioned there was a change within the opponent’s technique towards him within the Vijay Hazare Trophy submit his exploits within the IPL final season.
“May be, to an extent. They probably had certain plans against me which they didn’t have before. I continued to play my game. In terms of the general feeling of playing the tournament, it was pretty similar to the previous season. I just wanted to make sure I continued my good form and kept scoring big runs.”
Padikkal didn’t get a name from the Indian selectors for the ODI collection towards England regardless of a sensational Vijay Hazare Trophy however acknowledged his solely job was to carry out and enhance continually.
“What I have learnt for the past two-three years is that I can’t be really bothered about the selection. It is not in my control. What I am looking to do is to improve my game every day, work on myself. Two-three years back may be, I used to think a lot about selection, being in the team and stuff like that. In the last couple of years, I have learnt it is important to focus on my game and continue to get runs wherever I am playing. It doesn’t matter for which team, franchise cricket or domestic cricket; I want to make sure I continue to score runs, make my team win. Eventually, when I get there it will be great.”
Padikkal elaborated on the technical changes he has to make when he switches from one format to the opposite.
“There is a big difference when you switch from white ball to red-ball cricket. There is a lot more movement we have to be ready for. Last season, there were a lot of practice sessions where we had to focus was on leaving the ball, really focus on watching the ball closely compared to what we do in white ball. The white ball predominantly comes straight on to the bat. Once you move to the red ball, your feet movement, hand-eye coordination have to be greater. Now, we have pretty much got used to switching between formats, so it’s not that big a challenge.”
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India has no dearth in expertise for the openers’ place throughout codecs. Apart from Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan, different choices embody KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal, Prithvi Shaw and Ishan Kishan. But Padikkal will not be fazed by the problem and accepts it to carry out higher.
“There is lot of competition, but I take it as a fun challenge, to be honest. When you have a high level of competition it makes you do better, pushes you even more; that is always good. I just keep pushing myself and keep improving every day. The more competition I have, the more drive I have to do better. That’s how I look at it.”
He added that Shaw was in good kind within the Vijay Hazare Trophy and is a particular and uncommon expertise.
“Even Prithvi has been in really good form and he is a special player as well. It was good have someone really going at the same rate as I was. He was also pushing me to score more runs; I am pretty sure he also had that in his mind. We were really pushing each other; it is good to have a high level of competition around you, it makes you do better. Eventually, it will help your team as well. That was a great battle within a battle.”
Padikkal then elaborated on the wealthy expertise of enjoying alongside AB de Villiers and King Kohli within the IPL highlighting the fervour the nice pair had for the sport.
“That was a pretty special experience to have. You get to learn so much from them. The kind of passion and drive they have for the game, the way they play, the way they carry themselves through the busy, long tournament. It is not easy to handle all that pressure, especially when the team is looking at you to take the responsibility. How they handle was great to see, and that is something I picked up from them.”
He praised the Indian and RCB skipper and acknowledged that Kohli impressed him to boost his sport and carry out.
“He plays at such a high level; when you are batting with him, you feel you have to really push yourself and match the standard at which he plays. That helped improve my game. Batting with him, he makes the game pretty easy. He understands the game so well, when to take a chance and when to pull back, and when to really go after the bowling. When you have so much knowledge and experience it makes our job very easy at the other end.”
Padikkal additionally showered heaps of reward on Rahul Dravid who helped him on the NCA in Bengaluru.
“Even he is someone I look up to. Whenever possible, I love to talk to him and he is open to giving advice. I have spoken to him a few times during practice at M Chinnaswamy Stadium when he is around at NCA National Cricket Academy. Even he has told me to keep working hard and keep improving.”
The left-hander added that his final goal was to signify the nation in Test cricket.
“The ultimate goal is to play for India in the longest format. In the short term, I am going to focus on each game at a time. That’s what I have tried to do in the past couple of years. It didn’t matter if I was playing IPL or a domestic tournament. I just wanted to make sure every game I play, I make an impact and improve.”