• Home
  • Cricket News
  • Want To Have Same Passion And Hunger Like Virat Kohli Devdutt Padikkal

Want to have same passion and hunger like Virat Kohli: Devdutt Padikkal

RCB and Karnataka opener Devdutt Padikkal has talked about his experience of playing with the likes of AB de Villiers and Virat Kohli in a chat with TimesofIndia.com. 

“Playing alongside Virat Kohli and Ab de Villiers and all other cricketers was great. It was an incredible experience,” Padikkal who first played for RCB in the 2020 edition said. 

The left-handed opener further hailed Kohli and said the hunger and passion that the India and RCB captain has for the game is incredible.

“The passion and hunger he has for the game, it's incredible. He has that kind of drive towards the game. He doesn't need anyone to push or motivate. He has so much fire to perform and give the best for the country or team. That is something I really want to have in myself. I really want to have that drive in myself that can push me every single day in terms of practice, training, and whatever I do. That kind of motivation and hunger is something (that is) really incredible,” he added. 

Padikkal had tested positive for COVID-19 on March 22 and is in quarantine at home in Bengaluru. He will join the RCB squad once his RT-PCR report comes negative. 

RCB will begin the IPL 2021 campaign against the defending champions Mumbai Indians in the opening encounter on April 9 in Chennai. RCB have never lifted the IPL trophy despite making it to the final thrice. 



 

Discover more
Top Stories
news

IPL 2021: Mayank Agarwal eyeing another dominant season, but not looking far ahead to World T20

Mayank Agarwal had made his intentions clear that he was focussing on making the last season of the IPL count. On cue, he backed his words with dominating performances with the bat across the season. He was at the top of his game from the first game of the season and finished the 13th edition of the league with 424 runs from 10 games. His chances were curtailed due to an injury that forced him away from the game for a lengthy period of time as Kings XI Punjab got knocked out of the race to the playoffs. He was picked in Indian teams for the tour of Australia but could not quite make big runs to cement his place. Subsequently, he went out of favour from the team and faces a long time away from the playing XI as his replacements have shone bright with the bat. Now, with another edition of the IPL scheduled to kick off from this week, Mayank is looking forward to making his opportunities count yet again and leave an impression on the Indian team management. On the question of whether he is eyeing a spot in the ICC World T20 with performances in IPL 2021, Mayank refused to look so far beyond in the time. “IPL is a long tournament with so many matches. I will look to make the best use of opportunities and let my performances help my team win the title. A good show in IPL always works wonders. As far as the T20 World Cup goes, I am not thinking about it. It is still quite far. But yes, I would like to make an impression,” Mayank said in an interview with Hindustan Times. The Punjab Kings will compete once again looking to win their maiden IPL title with a revamped name and an enforced change in approach due to matches being shifted to neutral venues. However, they will play as many as five matches at the M Chinnaswamy stadium in Bengaluru which is a home ground for both Mayank and their skipper KL Rahul. Mayank Agarwal said he gel nicely with his long-term teammate and hailed him as an ‘incredible’ cricketer. He said that having a good bond with Rahul helps him each other’s game on the field. “Rahul is an incredible cricketer. His game makes scoring look very easy. It would be amazing to go out there and play together in Bengaluru. I have always enjoyed with him as a partner at the other end. This is the fourth year we will be playing for Punjab. Our friendship helps us gel on the field as we understand each other’s game well. I am hoping for another electric season for both of us,” Mayank added. Punjab started their last season with a lot of promise and was equally dominating till the middle phase of the season. Mayank outlined that the team had played well in clusters and that they will look forward to correcting that record with consistent performances this season. “We missed qualifying for the playoffs last season by one victory. Punjab Kings need to be consistent and display a good brand of cricket to taste success. The team has been successful in clusters in the past, but we have lacked consistency,” Mayank said. The Punjab Kings will start their IPL 2021 campaign on April 12 against the Rajasthan Royals.

news

IPL 2021: CSK's K Bhagath Varma living every bit of his dream to play at big stage

Having gone the last season without any off-spinner, the Chennai Super Kings were adamant about having off-spinners in the mix. They brought the established players in Moeen Ali and Krishnappa Gowtham, while also putting their weight behind a rookie off-spinner from Andhra Pradesh in K Bhagath Varma. Bhagath Varma had played for India-U19 against England in 2017 and was in the Andhra Pradesh side for the Vijay Hazare Trophy held earlier this year. Looking back at the auction when he was bought for by the CSK in the auction, Bhagath Varma said that he could not believe that the team as big as the CSK could trust his talent. He said that it took a call from his mom and friends that made him convinced about his selection for the IPL 2021. “I was like frozen for a bit, a couple of minutes..like is it really me who has been selected for the CSK team. Later, I got a call from my mom and even she was not talking much and was in tears. Friends and families everyone were happy. Yes, I was very happy,” Bhagath Varma said in a video released by CSK on Twitter. He said that dining the yellow jersey of the CSK was a special feeling for him and that walking around the Chepauk stadium with a real opportunity to play on the big stage was like a dream coming out to be true. “Walking in here to the Chepauk stadium wearing this yellow jersey of CSK was a dream come true and it was really exciting for me. I was in the Vijay Hazare practice session when the auction was going on. So, when I came back to the hotel, probably the same time my name came in the auction,” Varma added. Chennai Super Kings will open their campaign on April 10 against the Delhi Capitals at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.