Prithvi Shaw was pushing me to score runs – Devdutt Padikkal

Competition gets the best out of the players and it keeps you on your toes. Prithvi Shaw and Devdutt Padikkal were pushing themselves to the limits in the recently concluded Vijay Hazare Trophy 2021, which Mumbai won by six wickets by beating Uttar Pradesh in the final.

Shaw ended up scoring 827 runs in the eight matches, including four hundred, out of which three were the big ones. The right-hander scored his runs at an impeccable average of 165.40 and a blistering strike rate of 138.29.

Furthermore, Shaw also broke Mayank Agarwal’s record of scoring most runs in the Vijay Hazare trophy as the latter had scored 723 runs in the 2018 edition.

On the other hand, Devdutt Padikkal was at his best as he scored 737 runs at an unbelievable average of 147.50 and an impressive average of 95.96 in the Vijay Hazare trophy. Padikkal scored four centuries on the bounce, which made him the first Indian batsman to achieve the landmark in List A cricket.

However, despite the prolific performances of both these players, they were ignored by the national selectors for the three-match ODI series against England.

Devdutt Padikkal said while talking to News 18, “Prithvi (Shaw) has been in really good form, and he is a special player as well. It was good to 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 added that the national selection is not his hand and he tries to give his best whenever he takes the field in the training sessions as well as the matches with an aim to keep improving.

“What I have learned 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 maybe, I used to think a lot about selection, being in the team, and stuff like that. In the last couple of years, I have learned 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,” Devdutt Padikkal added.

Devdutt Padikkal made an impressive debut in IPL 2020 for Royal Challengers Bangalore as he scored 473 runs in 15 matches at an average of 31.53 and a strike rate of 124.80 and thus he was the find of the season for the franchise. The southpaw will open the innings with RCB skipper Virat Kohli in the upcoming season.

RCB will begin their IPL 2021 campaign against defending champions Mumbai Indians at Chepauk Stadium, Chennai on 9th April.