Devdutt Padikkal was the hero for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) as his first century in the Indian Premier League (IPL) guided his side to a facile win over Rajasthan Royals (RR). Earlier, RR had posted a total of 177 on the board riding on good knocks from Shivam Dube and Rahul Tewatia after the top order had imploded on a good pitch to bat on at the Wankhede Stadium.
In the chase, it was all one-way traffic as Padikkal and Virat Kohli made merry with some eye-pleasing shots. The former was in his element as he displayed his array of shots against the RR bowlers who had absolutely no clue to his ruthless hitting. Kohli got to his fifty and crossed 6000 runs in the IPL in the process while Padikkal got his maiden century, ending on 101 runs in just 52 deliveries.
Devdutt Padikkal speaks on his performance
Devdutt Padikkal was adjudged as the Man of the Match for his efforts and speaking about the same he said, “It’s been special. I could only wait my turn. When I was down with COVID, all I was thinking of was to come here and play the first match here. I couldn’t do that but was keen to contribute to the team’s win. The wicket was coming on really well and we got a good start. When you get into a partnership like that, it helps as runs come from both ends.”
On being asked as to whether he was worried about getting to 100, Padikkal said, “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. Rotation of strike is important. We just clicked well.”
RCB are currently top of the table and will play Chennai Super Kings next on Sunday.
Also Read: IPL 2021: Virat Kohli becomes first cricketer to cross 6000 runs in IPL
