IPL 2021 | Have tried to pick up on Virat Kohli’s drive for the game, says Devdutt Padikkal

Devdutt Padikkal turned out to be a massive revelation for Royal Challengers Bangalore in IPL 2020. In the tournament held in UAE, the opening batsman from Karnataka scored 473 runs in 15 matches and finished as the highest run-scorer for his franchise.

While he opened the innings with Australian captain Aaron Finch and sometimes with Josh Phillippe in the last edition of the IPL, this season he has been opening the batting with his captain Virat Kohli. After the fifth ODI against England, where Virat opened the innings with Rohit Sharma, Kohli confirmed that he’d stick to the approach during the IPL and has done so.

The southpaw praised Virat’s unmitigated passion for the game and suggested that it’s something he wants to emulate in his own game. When asked about whether he will take over the aggressive approach since he was opening with Kohli, Padikkal played down the question.

“I do not think so. He is such a talented cricketer, he has so much experience, to be playing with him makes my game easier. I am really looking forward to having a really good partnership with him. Definitely, Virat’s passion for the game, the drive for the game he has is remarkable, that is something I have really tried to pick up on,” the 20-year-old said as quoted by Rediff.

Royal Challengers Bangalore have made a dream start to their IPL 2021 campaign. Having won all three games so far, they are the only undefeated side in the tournament. Padikkal claimed that this time around, RCB had a balanced squad and there’s a sense of unity and togetherness in the group.

“We have a balanced RCB side this season and we have a lot of options in every department. It is great to have such a great combination and that knowledge and experience as well. We can see that there is a real togetherness about the team this season,” Padikkal added.

Devdutt Padikkal also went on to idolize former Indian batsman Gautam Gambhir. This is no secret as the southpaw has spoken about his admiration for Gambhir several times in the past as well.

“He was a big-game player and it is one thing I really want to emulate because it is in those crunch situations that those big players come out and do well for the side. He always seemed to do that when the team was under pressure and that is something I would want to do,” Devdutt concluded.